


Lionheart

by sparksinger



Series: Love Just Is [4]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Genre: Angst, Child Death, Childbirth, Domestic Fluff, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Love, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 64,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparksinger/pseuds/sparksinger
Summary: Love doesn't come in one box with just one function. Love morphs into whatever we need it to be, and love...love just is.
Relationships: Cade Yeager/Viviane Wembley (implied), Hound/Ironhide (mentioned)
Series: Love Just Is [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/448297
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I live in the UK and write/speak British English, so you may find some 'Britishisms' in here along with some weird spelling. ;)
> 
> Content/Trigger Warnings: pregnancy, suicide mention, self-harm mention, rape mention, childbirth, child death.

_“Our story binds us  
Like right and wrong  
Your hand in mine  
Marching to the beat of the storm”_

  * ‘lionheart’ – demi lovato



A steady tattoo was beating inside Cordelia Prime’s skull. It felt as if there was a vice attached to her head, squeezing it until she thought it would explode. Inside her mind, she screamed. 

Silver hands whirred and rested on her face; an oasis of cool paradise against the fire that seemed intent on devouring her. 

“Lia? Are you in pain?” 

She struggled to open her green eyes. Through her eyelids, she could see the faint shadow of Optimus Prime’s large frame looming over her. She felt his weight settle next to her on the bed. Since she’d been ill, Optimus had activated his holoform and had not left her side. 

She brought a hand up to her face, that one action an Olympic effort. It was as if there were 50-pound weight attached to each of her limbs and joints, and to move anyone of them seemed just as likely as humanity making it back to the moon.

Optimus was careful not to disturb the clear IV line going into the back of Cordelia’s left hand as he moved to sit beside her on the bed. 

Her usually cream skin was devoid of any colour, not even the faint flush that was usually present in her freckled cheeks. She sat up without warning and lurched forward, coughing. Optimus realised what she needed and grabbed the bowl from where it sat beside the bed, simultaneously tidying her auburn hair off her face.

She propped herself up weakly on one elbow as she threw up into the proffered bowl. She spat out shiny, stringy bile and eyed the contents of the bowl with thinly disguised disgust. She took a small sip from the glass of water Optimus offered her and swilled it around her mouth before spitting it into the bowl. 

She settled back against the pillows, the beat in her head reminiscent of war drums. 

Optimus looked at her, his blue optics grave with worry and concern. He gently pressed the back of his hand to her brow and simulated a sigh. 

“Your fever is 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit.” Wordlessly she reached for his hand and locked her fingers loosely around his. 

Another shiver made its way through her body, causing her to involuntarily curl into the foetal position. 

“That’s it.” Optimus declared. “I’m calling Jenny.” Cordelia heard the quiet click that signalled the activation of his comm line. 

She heard but did not listen to what Optimus was saying to Jenny. All she cared about was being able to eat something or to even simply move without emptying her stomach at every opportunity. 

The discovery of her pregnancy had been shocking enough, but three weeks on, Cordelia was beginning to grow accustomed to the idea.

At her twelve-week scan, when she’d vomited for the sixth time in under an hour, the technician had called a senior doctor in to examine her and he had diagnosed her with hyperemesis graviderum on the spot. 

Cordelia kept hold of Optimus’ hand as he quietly chatted to Jenny. 

“Yes, if you could come as soon as you can, that would be most appreciated. No, I don’t think she needs hospitalisation. The IV you set up yesterday seems to be doing the trick, but her fever is 101.6. I’ll send Drift to come and collect you.” 

He disconnected his comm line with a quiet click. Cordelia found it within herself to open her eyes. Optimus’ face was etched with concern, his lip plates turned down in a worried grimace. 

He stroked her face gently, using the cool of his hand to abate some of the fire within her cheeks. 

“How are you feeling little one?”

“Rough.” Cordelia’s voice was dry and croaky from throwing up so much. “Who would have thought that something so small could cause so much aggravation?” Optimus chuckled and placed his hand over the small bulge that was present in her abdomen. 

Cordelia smiled and put her own hand over his, interlocking their fingers. “She’s not got the best timing, but I want her, so, _so_ much. I can’t explain it.” 

Optimus raised an optic ridge. “’She?’” Cordelia shrugged and smiled to herself. 

“I don’t know why…I just see a girl when I picture her.” 

“Is it something you wish to find out? The gender?” She shook her head. 

“No. Let’s leave it as a surprise. Life needs a little mystery, don’t you think?” He smiled in answer. 

Abruptly, the steady drum behind Cordelia’s skull upped in its intensity. She clutched at her head and scrunched her eyes tightly shut, trying to shut out the pain. 

“What time is Jenny getting here?” She asked through gritted teeth. 

“Soon little one, I promise. I’ve sent Drift to collect her.” 

Cordelia nodded and rubbed the back of her hand over her forehead a few times. “Okay. Ugh, I’m sorry.” Optimus lowered himself so that he was kneeling against the bed, bringing their faces level with each other. 

“Sorry for what? Lia, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.” 

She made a loose gesture to the immediate surroundings. Optimus waved her worry away and stood in one fluid motion. “Jenny has arrived. I will go and let her in. I will be right back little one.” He bent to brush his lip plates carefully along her hairline. 

She felt the faint puff of air as he dissipated his holoform to meet Jenny downstairs. 

As Cordelia waited for Optimus and Jenny to come upstairs, her thoughts found their way to the kindly midwife.

Jenny’s services had been provided by Joshua Joyce as a way of appeasing his own guilt. The ranch had also been paid for in full, as well as Cordelia’s medical expenses and that of any children she had, for the rest of her life. 

Jenny was a spirited woman in her early forties with a kick-ass attitude. She was a slim, petite woman with a short, graduated honey-brown bob accentuated by chocolate brown eyes. 

At their first meeting, Jenny had put Cordelia at ease right away. 

“Hi hon, let me tell you this straight away, I am here to work for you and only you, okay?” 

Cordelia smiled at the memory, reaching over to itch the back of her left hand where the plaster securing the IV cannula had begun to irritate her. 

The bedroom door opened as Optimus and Jenny stepped through. Jenny had been informed about Optimus and all the other Autobots and had taken it all in her stride. 

Jenny made her way over to the bed, setting her bag down on the floor. 

“Hey hon, the big guy tells me you’re not feeling too hot today. Let’s have a look at you, shall we? Can you sit up for me chick?” 

Cordelia started to shuffle herself up into a sitting position, but Optimus hurried over to help. He slipped his hands underneath her arms and effortlessly lifted her so that she was sitting comfortably up against the pillows. His hands lingered for a few seconds before he pulled away. 

“Is that okay for you Lia?” 

She nodded and smiled at him weakly. “It’s great, thanks Optimus.” Jenny turned to look at Optimus. 

“Hey, I could use a cup of coffee if you don’t mind?” Optimus faltered for a second before smoothing his features into a warm smile. 

“Of course, Jenny, Lia, I’ll get you some more water.” Instead of simply deactivating his holoform and reactivating it downstairs, he walked slowly over to the bedroom door, shutting it quietly behind him. 

Cordelia listened as his footsteps grew fainter and fainter as he made his way down the stairs. She turned her gaze onto Jenny, who was busy digging various medical items out of her bag. 

“He really adores you, doesn’t he?” She secured a blood pressure cuff around the top of Cordelia’s thin arm, sticking her stethoscope underneath it before she began to work the pump. 

“Yeah. I’m lucky to have him. He’s…he’s saved my life over and over, never asking anything in return.” Her eyes took on a slightly glazed expression. 

She wriggled her fingers as the cuff began to loosen on her arm. Jenny chewed her lip thoughtfully. 

“Hmm. 86 over 58. Not too great Lia – a bit lower than I’d like to see.” Cordelia lifted her gaze to meet Jenny’s. 

“Is it something to be worried about?” 

“Not worried as in, ‘you need to be in hospital,’ but worried as in ‘this needs to be a higher figure given the fact that you are sixteen weeks pregnant’”.” 

“Okay, so how do we get it to where it needs to be?”

“Medication if necessary, but I want to avoid that where possible. I brought some medication for your hyperemesis graviderum because you can’t keep getting all your nutrients from intravenous fluids. When was the last time you actually had something to eat?” 

Cordelia snorted, “what, ate something and kept it down? About three days ago.” 

Jenny sighed. “We need to treat your hyperemesis gravidarum first if we’re going to improve your blood pressure. You need to be able to eat and keep it down.” 

“Trust me, it’s not for the want of trying,” Cordelia sighed and toyed absent-mindedly with the IV line. “I’m literally eating the blandest food I can think of – I mean yesterday I had boiled rice and chicken, no salt, no pepper and within fifteen minutes it had reappeared.” 

Optimus returned through the bedroom door; a mug of steaming coffee in one hand and a plate of rich tea biscuits in the other. It was all Cordelia could do not to rip the plate from his grasp and stuff them all into her mouth in one go. 

Jenny accepted the mug from Optimus’ proffered hand and took a deep swig before setting it down on the bedside table. “So, what we discussed while you were downstairs –“ 

Optimus held up a hand. “No need to repeat yourself Jenny. We need to find an effective treatment for Cordelia’s hyperemesis gravidarum before we can begin to effectively treat her hypotension.” 

Jenny whistled. “Impressive, were you a doctor on Cybertron?” 

“No,” Optimus said with a small shake of his head. “However, I take any ailment that Cordelia may suffer from very seriously and thus make it my priority to learn as much about these conditions as I can.” 

She smiled and tucked the blood pressure machine and cuff back into its little case. “Fair enough.” She turned her attention back to Cordelia. “I’ve brought some medication for your nausea, okay?” She produced a box from her breast pocket. “This is Zofran. It’s one of the stronger anti-nausea medications on the market, but one that my patients have claimed is among the more effective. And yes, it is safe to use while you are pregnant.” 

“How many can I take a day?”

“I’m going to start you on a lower dosage, but you can take three tablets within a twenty-four-hour period, but you must leave at least a four-hour gap between doses.” 

Optimus swiped the box up from where it lay on the rumpled bed covers and opened it, withdrawing the little leaflet inside. He looked at the first side for all of two seconds before flipping it over in a move so fast that it hurt Cordelia’s eyes just to look. 

Jenny raised a brow. “You read all that?” 

Optimus offered her a wry smile and folded the leaflet neatly and slid it back into the box. “All in here,” he said, tapping the side of his helm. 

“Again, I’m impressed. Now – Lia. I want you to start taking these today and let me know how you’re getting on with them. You’re to ring me if you get any worse or have a reaction to the medication. Is there anything else you want to go through with me?” 

Cordelia took a deep breath. “Yeah. I wanted to discuss birthing plans.” 

Optimus stood and brought a chair over to the side of the bed. He seated himself in it, leaning forwards on his knees with his hands clasped together. 

Cordelia looked to Optimus for a little reassurance and he gave her one of his ‘meant for her only’ smiles that didn’t quite reach his mouth.

“I don’t want to have the baby in hospital.” Seeing that Jenny was about to respond, she held up a hand. “I don’t want to give birth in the hospital, because let’s face it, this isn’t exactly a ‘normal’ situation, is it? As soon as I walk through any hospital doors, all of my control will be taken away.” She turned to face Optimus. “The world’s media know about you all now, the secret is out, and my face with it. Once they find out that I’m pregnant, the rumours and the hearsay will start. Staff at the hospital will be made aware of our…relationship, and I know that you would personally examine the history and possible threat of every single member of staff that would be coming into contact with me.”

Optimus made a noise similar to a throat being cleared and wiped his fingers over the corner of his mouth, as if wiping away an imaginary stain. 

“Lia, I will stand by you, however or wherever you choose to have this baby. I’ve got your back little one, now and always.” 

Jenny smiled. “Okay, well so long as you don’t encounter any serious complications through this pregnancy, I don’t see any reason why you can’t have a home birth. I do have a question of my own though.” 

Cordelia arranged her hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. “Sure, what do you wanna ask?”

“Will you let me deliver your baby?”

A wide smile broke onto Cordelia’s face, lighting up all of her features. Her eyes tilted upwards; her dark freckles prominent on the pale canvas that was her alabaster skin. “Of course! I wouldn’t have anybody else obviously. Optimus, you’ll be there too, right?”

His optics grew misty as he leaned forward and grazed her cheek lightly with his knuckles. “Little one, it would be my absolute honour. Thank you.” 

Jenny slapped her hands down on her thighs and rose from the bed. “Great! That’s settled then. I’ll get the paperwork in motion and email the details to you. Does that sound okay?”

“It sounds great Jenny, thank you so much.” She leaned down and pecked Cordelia’s cheek, leaving behind a waft of floral perfume.

“No problem at all hon. Please, don’t hesitate to call me if you have any concerns whatsoever.” She gathered her things together and made her way over to the door.

Optimus got up and graciously took her bags, hanging them casually over his left shoulder. “Ooh! Tall, dark, handsome **and** a gentleman! You wanna hang onto him nice and tight hon!” 

Cordelia felt blood rush up her neck and flood her cheeks with heat. Optimus shot her a ‘help me’ look as he escorted Jenny to the front door. 

Cordelia smiled to herself and popped one of the Zofran tablets out of its blister and swallowed it down with a tiny bit of water. She waited for the usual gag reflex to kick in, but nothing happened. 

_Let’s not walk before we can run Lia,_ she thought to herself.

She pushed the covers off her body and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her pyjama trousers hung loosely on her protuberant hips. She smiled wryly to herself. _Great, I’ve actually **lost** weight while I’m pregnant. _She wondered how many women would want to look how she did at sixteen weeks pregnant. _If only they wouldn’t mind living with the constant nausea._

Optimus reappeared then, nudging the bedroom door shut with his hip. His optics widened and his mouth dropped open in a surprised ‘o’ when he saw Cordelia half in, half out of the bed. It would have been funny if she had the energy to laugh.

He hurried over and detached the IV line from the cannula on the back of her hand. “Lia, what are you thinking? You-“

“I’m fine Optimus, please. I’ve got to wash or have a bath or **something.** I’ve been laying in that bed for two days and I feel absolutely disgusting. Even if I just wash my hair.”

Optimus’ hydraulic joints hissed air out from between their housings – a sure sign that he was frustrated. He ground his lip plates together, working hard to bury his frustration. “Then please, allow me to assist you. Please?” 

She burst out laughing. “Oh my God, are you actually pouting at me right now?” He dropped his gaze from hers and she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. She draped an arm around his neck. “Go on then big guy, we both know you’re not gonna let me walk to the bathroom.” 

He crossed his optics at her – his version of poking a tongue out. He moved so that his left arm was secure around her back and shoulders, sliding his other arm underneath her knees. 

He lifted her carefully, holding her against his chest, supporting all her weight with his upper body alone. He walked carefully, not swinging her at all. He turned sideways to pass through the en-suite, gently placing her down into the wicker chair that sat parallel to the bath.

“Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah. I think that pill is beginning to kick in. I feel a little groggy, but I don’t think I’m gonna throw up.” She paused, scratching the back of her neck. “But...I do feel really shaky on my feet – Optimus, can I ask you something?”

He knelt, resting his hands on her knees and bringing their eyes level. “Of course, you know you can ask me anything at any time.” 

His voice was so sincere and so full of love that it made Cordelia’s throat ache. She reached up and ran her fingers lightly over one of his ear finials. He leaned into her touch, almost purring. 

“Can you…can you help me? I mean with washing and dressing. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to do it on my own.” 

“Lia, of course I will help you. And please, don’t be embarrassed about asking me to do so.” 

She stared at him, incredulity present in her green eyes. “How did you know?” 

Optimus chuckled, a warm vibrant sound that warmed Cordelia’s heart. “Because I know you better than you know yourself. Seeing you in any state will never, ever change my attitude towards you or affect my love for you. I will love you come what may, Cordelia Prime. Through thick and thin, you have my Spark. Now and always.”

“I’m just worried about…about you seeing me naked. I don’t want to change things between us. I mean, I love you more than I have ever loved anyone or anything, but I don’t love you romantically, and I know you don’t love me romantically and –” he placed a finger over her lips, silencing her.

“Easy little one. You’re panicking. Seeing you…naked as you put it, will not change my feelings for you. You are right – I do not love you romantically, so seeing you in any state of undress will not affect me. But, if it really makes you feel uncomfortable, why don’t you put your swimming attire on?” 

Cordelia smiled and shrugged. “You’re right. It’s stupid to feel insecure. I mean, Adam and Eve were okay about it, even if only for a little while.” 

Optimus raised a metallic brow. “Adam and Eve? Oh, you are referring to ‘Genesis’, the first book in the Holy Bible. I’ll start the bath. I’m not going to let it get too deep just in case you begin to feel unwell.” He got up and flicked the hot and cold taps on, holding one finger under the pouring water until he was satisfied with the temperature. “Do you want to test it?” He turned to look at her and she felt that all that was missing from the picture was a pair of half-moon spectacles on the end of his nose. 

“No. I trust you big guy.” She watched Optimus as he searched through the bathroom, grabbing shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath and body wash. 

He lined them all up along the edge of the bath. Then he went into the cupboard under the sink and pulled out an elegant glass vase. 

“What do you need that for?” Cordelia asked, taking her hair out of the bun, and shaking it loose about her shoulders.

“It is for rinsing off your hair. I don’t think that it is a good idea for you to get into the shower just yet.” He turned the taps off and the water settled with a thick blanket of foamy bubbles resting on top.

Lavender and jasmine scents filled the room as Cordelia began to remove her clothes. She slid her top off and left it in a rumpled heap on the floor. Optimus respectfully turned away from her, his hands clasped behind his back. 

She eased her trousers down over her hips and wriggled them off without needing to fully lift herself off the chair. She got to her feet and promptly lost her balance, falling back into the chair with a soft plop.

“Damnit,” she muttered under her breath. 

Optimus appeared wordlessly at her side and lifted her easily into his armoured arms. He kept his blue optics on her face as he moved over to the bath, never once lowering them.

He stepped over the lip of the bath, lowering one foot into it as he did so. He lowered her carefully into the water and as she was completely immersed in the warm water, she realised that the bubbles covered every intimate part of her body. 

The water was simply delicious. It caressed her tense muscles like the soft touch of an old friend. She sat up against the wall of the bath, her legs stretched out in front of her.

Optimus filled the vase and poured the water carefully over her head. He reached over and retrieved the shampoo bottle, deftly removing the cap and squirting some into the palm of the opposite hand. He worked it up into a lather and started rubbing it slowly into her scalp. He worked in slow circles, slowly growing bigger and bigger as he made his way from the crown of her head down to the nape of her neck. No words were exchanged between them because they had already said all that had needed to be said.

She leaned backwards into the ecstasy that was his touch, relishing in the simplicity of it. He ran his hands through her hair, working the shampoo into every strand. “I love your hair, it’s so soft. It takes on an entirely different texture when it’s wet.” 

Cordelia snorted, turning to face him. “Do you realise what you just said?”

He met her gaze with a perfect poker face. “I’m perfectly aware of what I just said.” His optics tilted upwards in one of his wry grins. She chuckled and turned back around. 

Optimus rinsed her hair, holding his hand over her brow so that the bubbles from the shampoo wouldn’t go into her eyes. While Optimus was working the conditioner through the ends of her hair, Cordelia began to wash with the honey and vanilla scented body wash. She grabbed the flannel and worked it over and under her arms and legs before washing in between her legs.

Optimus rinsed the last of the conditioner from her hair. “Are you ready to get out little one?”

“Yeah. I feel so much better already. It’s amazing what a bath can do.” He helped her out of the bath and wrapped a fluffy blue towel around her shoulders. 

He darted into the bedroom and returned seconds later with a fresh t-shirt, underwear and sweatpants. Cordelia used his proffered arm to balance while she quickly dried and dressed herself. She wrapped her wet hair into the towel and turned to face Optimus. 

“May I dry your hair?” Cordelia went into the dressing table drawer and pulled out the hairdryer and a round brush. 

“Sure! Knock yourself out.” She sat down in the chair he so graciously pulled out for her. 

She watched his reflection in the mirror, the way his hands gently rubbed the worst of the damp out of her hair with the towel. He began to guide the brush in smooth strokes through her dark hair, brushing back the shorter pieces of hair that had been her fringe a month ago. 

She’d decided to let it grow out. Being pregnant seemed to have kicked her hair growth into overdrive, and she’d put on two inches in the last six weeks alone. Not to mention it was much thicker and shinier than it had ever been before. 

He turned the hairdryer on and separated the hair into sections, his optics intent on the task at hand. She watched as he brushed her hair down and under. 

Twenty minutes later, he took out the section clip and let her hair fall in loose auburn waves about her shoulders. He arranged it so that some was sitting evenly on her shoulders. She looked at him in the mirror. 

“Well, I’ll just have to start calling you Vidal Sassoon!” At his confused expression, she waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry; it doesn’t matter.”

She pushed the chair out from beneath her and moved to gingerly stand. Optimus’ hands hovered nervously near her arms, ready to catch her should she need him. At that moment, her stomach decided to emit a thunderous rumble. “Oh my God, I’m so hungry.” Optimus swept her up into his arms.

“Allow me to rectify that then,” he said with a wink. He carried her down the stairs and set her down on the plush leather couch. “What takes your fancy?” He clapped his hands together, his metal palms making a soft pinging sound. 

“Hmm…something salty?” 

“I think I may have just the thing – a cheese and bacon omelette?” Cordelia’s mouth started to water. 

“Oh my God, yes please. That sounds amazing.” 

He grinned at her and then set to work in the kitchen. Cordelia rose slowly up off the couch and made her way slowly through to the kitchen. 

She sat herself in one of the oak dining chairs and leaned forward on her knees, watching Optimus as he prepped the necessary ingredients for her omelette. 

He tapped three eggs open with his index finger and poured them into a jug. He produced a whisk and began to stir the eggs in a whir of red, blue and silver. The frying pan on the hob began to spit lightly. He placed the jug down on the worktop and tossed in the bacon and tomato, seasoning it with salt and pepper. He poured in the eggs and added a splash of milk. The contents of the pan sizzled when he added the grated cheese.

The ingredients began to bind together, and just as Cordelia thought it was done, Optimus swiped the pan off the hob and stuck it under the grill. 

“That’s the secret; it gets cooked evenly on the top and the bottom. It also disperses the flavour more effectively.” He grasped the pan and slid the omelette out of it and onto a plate with more flourish than even the most qualified chef. 

He set it down before her with a glass of water. “Bon appetit!” He proclaimed, theatrically kissing his fingers with a soft click of his lip plates.

“Oh my God Optimus, you are such a dork,” she said as she dug her fork into the yellow mixture. She popped a mouthful in, and it was gooey and mushy in all the right places. The flavours exploded in her mouth, the strong taste of salt from the bacon and the sweet tangy taste from the tomatoes. 

She finished it in record time, placing her knife and fork down on the plate. She waited nervously for the usual feeling of nausea to claw its way up her throat, but nothing came. Optimus cleared the table and began washing up. 

“Did you enjoy that little one?” 

She nodded. “Yes, thank you. It was absolutely delicious.” 

“Are you feeling nauseous at all?” 

“No thankfully. I think those pills are doing the trick.” 

“That is marvellous. I’m so glad they are making a difference already.” He dried the frying pan and hung it back up on the rack above the sink. 

Optimus walked over to the couch and sat down on it, patting the vacant space next to him. “Do you want to watch _The Green Mile_?” In answer, Cordelia grabbed the thick blanket from the back of the couch and draped it around herself before sitting against Optimus. 

His arms moved to fit her body and he sat with his chin resting gently on top of her head. His left hand found its way down to the faint bulge in her abdomen, resting loosely on top. 

Suddenly, Cordelia felt a fluttering sensation behind her naval. She and Optimus shot into sitting positions at the same time.

His face was full of wonder. “Did you just…”

“Feel that?” She finished, slightly breathless. 

Each of their faces broke into a wide smile and they embraced each other, rejoicing in the first movements of Cordelia’s baby. 


	2. Chapter Two

As winter tightened its grip on the ranch, the evenings began to close in. Optimus spent longer outside chopping wood into symmetrical logs for firewood. 

One afternoon, when the wind was rattling through the house and the snow was piling up against the front windows, Cordelia heard the steady thwack, thwack of Optimus’ sword. She was bundled up on the couch, wrapped in the thick red Afghan that was usually draped over the back of the brown leather couch. 

Her feet were bundled into thick, grey boot slippers, which did a perfect job of keeping out the sting of the cold on her feet. Nestled in between her small hands was a mug of steaming tea. 

Optimus was the **best** tea maker she had ever come across, and she’d never had a bad cup of tea from him. She smiled to herself as she recalled his failure to understand the ‘point’ of tea, as he’d put it.

“Why do you like tea so much?” he’d asked as he handed her a cup of the offending liquid. “What I mean is – who on Earth” – here he raised a metallic brow in a small smile – “saw a Camellia Sinensis plant and thought, ‘ooh, I’ll blend this into some triethanolamine’?”

Cordelia laughed and accepted the mug, taking a small sip. She set it down on the worktop and turned her gaze on Optimus. “I don’t know why I like it so much, maybe it’s because I’m British, but it’s _so_ good! And you make it so that it tastes just so…so perfect!” She laughed and tucked a few strands of auburn hair behind her ear. She swung lightly on the stool of the breakfast bar, enjoying the feeling of swaying to and fro. 

“So, the addition of sucrose and lactose makes the tasting experience a more pleasurable one?” 

“Mmhmm. But not everyone likes it with milk and sugar. Some people like it with just milk, some people like it with just sugar, and others like it just black.”

“Ahh. I had not taken into consideration the many different ways that an individual can enjoy a cup of trieth…tea.” He scrunched his facial plating up as he said the last word. He looked as if uttering the word was going to get him struck by lightening.

Cordelia bit back a laugh. “What’s with the face?” He smoothed his features into a wry smile. 

“I am Optimus Prime, it feels…unnatural to use shortened language terminology.” 

“Are you serious?! Look around Optimus, it’s just you and me.” She slipped off the barstool and framed his face between her hands. “I don’t care what ‘terminology’ you use. Here it’s just you and me. You don’t have to worry about being a Prime, or how you present yourself to your Autobots. I just want you to be **you**.” 

His optics misted over, not quite spilling the liquid behind his metallic lids. He wrapped his long arms around her waist and lifted her onto the kitchen counter, bringing their faces level. 

“In that case, anytime you would like a cup of tea…I will always be happy to put the kettle on for you.” He winked with a soft clicking sound. 

“Aww, you are such a dork!” She laughed and leaned her forehead against his, enjoying the quiet of the moment. 

…Thwack. THWACK. Cordelia was brought back to the present by the dull thud of Optimus’ sword. She felt rather than heard the last blow. It vibrated through her chest, sending mini waves of motion to her ribs and sternum.

She made her way from the living room into the kitchen. The back door was closed, but through the glass window, she could see Optimus busily stacking the logs he had chopped into a neat pile. The mechanisms in his back tightened and then loosened as he bent and straightened. She slipped her feet into the snow boots that sat by the doormat and pulled her woollen cardigan tighter about her shoulders. 

She stepped over the threshold, shutting the door quietly behind her. Optimus turned to face her, leaning the sword on the back wall of the house. She eyed the pommel of the sword speculatively, but Optimus was already two steps ahead of her.

“Ah-ah. Not while you’re pregnant. The risk of injury to both you and the baby is too great.” 

She raised a brow. “Not even one go?” Optimus rolled his optics in mock indignation and stepped behind her.

“Very well. On one condition, I will aid you.” She nodded in agreement and playfully stuck her tongue out at him. 

He stepped behind her, his feet crushing the powdery snow that had not yet been trodden in. He reached around her for the sword, which was almost as tall as she was. The tip of the handle came up to her chest. Optimus’ other arm whispered around her waist and gently grasped her right hand in his. He guided it to the base of the pommel and slowly closed her fingers around its thick bottom. “Try lifting it.”

She did as he said and gasped when she felt the weight of it. It was a solid, leaden weight that she found she couldn’t shift even one centimetre. Optimus guided her other hand to sit near the top of the pommel and then helped her to lift it. “Plant your feet firmly on the ground. A stable base is one of the most important factors in efficient swordsmanship.” His baritone voice was silky as he rumbled into her ear, causing the fine hairs on the back of her neck to rise.

She made sure that both feet were planted firmly on the ground, swaying a little to test her balance. “Okay, I’m ready for the next bit.” 

“Okay, now we are going to ‘jab’ our enemy. Now, fighting with a sword is a skill that must be honed over many millennia, erh, years. One cannot just jab or stab at their opponent. In all likelihood, the sword will over-balance you.” 

He moved her hands with his own, bringing the sword upwards in a curving motion. “We create the necessary momentum…” he pulled the weapon backwards, the pair of them moving as one “…and now, we thrust forward with every ounce of strength that we possess.” 

He gently manipulated her arms forward whilst his own arms supported the weight of the sword. 

Then he thrusted the sword forward.

She watched as the winter sunlight danced up and down the blade, highlighting the Cybertronian glyphs that ran the length of it. She let go of the pommel as Optimus placed it back up to lean against the wall of the house.

She wrapped her cardigan more securely around her shoulders, hunching them up against the cold. “What do those glyphs mean?”

Optimus opened the back door and stepped away, inviting Cordelia through first. He turned and grabbed the pile of freshly chopped firewood and deposited it into the woodpile in the kitchen. He shut the door with a light nudge of his foot.

“Those glyphs are the foundation for our motto as the Autobots. ‘Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.’ The particulars ones on that sword say, ‘Noble are those who fight for freedom. Free are those who fight for the vulnerable. Weak are those who oppose us.’” Optimus seemed to inwardly sigh. 

“What is it?”

He smiled sadly at her before he answered.

“That sword and those words…they originally belonged to Sentinel Prime. He bequeathed the sword to me many eons ago, after I became a Prime. I saw fit to shorten the phrase and…add my own take on it, as the humans say.” His shoulders sagged downwards. 

“I still, even **now** , regret extinguishing his Spark. He was the mech who raised me Lia…the mech who made me who I am! He, who taught me the difference between right and wrong, who gave me my own moral compass! How could his have gotten so skewed? How did he become so lost?!” His intakes whined audibly as the vents on the back of his head cycled in more air. 

Cordelia offered him her hands and he clung to them, adrift in the sea of his own emotions.

“There were seven Primes, created by Primus himself. I am descended from that dynasty…and what do I have to show for it? A dead world, a dying race and a world I am struggling to protect!” He let go of her hands and covered his optics. “I am weak, and I no longer have what it takes to be a Prime.”

Cordelia pulled a chair over and stepped up onto it so that she was just a head taller than Optimus. “Yes, you do. You are worthy of being a Prime and _so_ much more.” She slipped her arms around the metal collar that adorned his neck and shoulders. “And do you know what else? I **believe** in you, Optimus **Prime.** ” 

His optics grew misty at her words. She watched as many different emotions flickered across the cerulean orbs, before settling on incredulity. She studied his face carefully, watching the subtle movements of the lenses that made up his optics. They took on a haunted expression, troubled by something that was from his distant past.

“Talk to me big guy. Don’t hold it in.” She gently squeezed his hand as she spoke and his long fingers slowly curled around hers, seeking comfort.

“Many millennia ago…long before I became a Prime, I was the leader of Cybertron’s Science Division. It was dedicated to the study and protection of the AllSpark. We worked tirelessly to try and understand where it had come from, who had created it and what its true purpose was. We harnessed its power and entered a Golden Age of prosperity.”

Cordelia watched as his optics glazed over, lost in the memories of the story he was telling.

“For the first time in history, the Castes lived in peace and harmony, the equality that we had each fought for, for so _long,_ was finally in our society. We thrived. We developed new technology, we communicated with other neighbouring planets and everybody prospered. It truly was the Golden Age.” His shoulders sagged as he recalled the happier times of Cybertron.

“Sentinel Prime was my mentor…my guide…my confidante. He taught me everything that I know. And I was the one to extinguish his Spark. That sword…that sword is all I have left of him.” 

A mechanical whine escaped involuntarily from his vocoder as his audial covers began to rotate furiously. His silver hands searched for Cordelia’s and she gave them to him without question, watching as his silvery thumbs stroked circles into the backs of her hands. 

One hand moved upwards to cup the small bump at her abdomen. His hand still covered the entire bump and he smiled sadly, raising his optics to meet her green eyes. 

“I am sorry little one. Here I am lamenting about my past when I should be aiding you and looking forward to the arrival of this little one.” He patted her bump gently before moving his hands underneath her arms and lifting her off the chair. He opened his arms and she fell into them, resting her head on his chest. She could hear the faint thrum of his Spark, humming contentedly inside its casing. His hydraulics hissed softly as he moved to gently rest his chin on the top of her head. 

Cordelia pulled away first, looking up into his blue optics.

“Don’t you ever be sorry for talking about your past. If you find it helpful and cathartic, then you talk about it all you want. Optimus, I will always listen to you, night or day.” 

He smiled again and this time it reached his mouth. “Thank you, Lia. That means more than I know how to say.” 

They spent the rest of the day huddled on the couch together under the thick Afghan that Optimus had given Cordelia a few Christmases ago. 

.o

The weather only turned colder and harsher as November progressed. Cordelia woke one morning to Optimus gently shaking her awake.

“Lia, I need you to come down to the front door. A misfortune has befallen your vehicle and I am afraid that I am to blame.”

“Wh-what?” Cordelia sat up groggily in bed, rubbing the sleep from her half-closed eyes. She felt a faint puff of air as Optimus’ robotic holoform dissipated. She hurried out of bed and stuffed her feet into her thick boot like slippers and threw on her fluffy dressing gown as she made her way slowly down the stairs. She didn’t even know what time it was! 

She caught sight of her reflection in the hallway mirror and had to laugh at herself. Her auburn hair was sticking up in all directions, making her look as if she had just been electrocuted. Her freckled cheeks were red from being woken up so abruptly. 

She let herself out through the front door and was greeted by a forest of long legs and a cacophony of noises. Optimus stood nearest her, smiling down at her in one of his signature small smiles. Hound stood next to him, his cigar hanging down from his mouth plates as he had a huge grin plastered over his visage. Bumblebee stood a little ways off to her right-hand side, his door wings shaking with excitement as he applauded her. Drift and Crosshairs stood close to each other, both smiling down at her. In the middle of the circle of towering Autobots stood a brand new, shiny blue Ford Ranger truck.

Cordelia’s mouth dropped open. The truck had a big red bow right around its middle. She pulled her dressing gown tighter around herself to keep out the sting of the cold air, but it did nothing to quell the tears that were quickly forming in her green eyes. 

Optimus took a step forward into a kneeling motion, holding his index finger out to her. On the very tip of it, she could see a small black box. She took it from his proffered finger and opened it. A set of keys fell into her outstretched palm. She looked up at Optimus, his face swimming slightly due to the tears that she was determined to not let fall. 

“Optimus…I…I don’t know what to say.” He said nothing but turned his hand over so that it was laying palm up. She stepped on and was brought to eye level. 

“You don’t need to say anything little one, just allow me to say this: happy birthday!” He leaned down and nuzzled her gently with his nose, causing a few strands of her red hair to stand up on end. 

Now that she was more awake and had a little more brain power to digest Optimus’ words, she gasped. Today was the sixteenth of November, her birthday! She laughed and buried her head in her hands. 

“Oh wow, I can’t believe I forgot my own birthday.” She exclaimed, bringing her gaze up to meet Optimus’. “Thank you.” She said simply, leaning into his fingers. 

“You are more than welcome little one,” he said, his deep baritone reverberating in her chest. She turned in his palm so that she was facing the other Autobots. They all clapped again, filling the air with the sound of metallic pings. 

Cordelia felt the blood rushing to her cheeks in response to the attention from all the Autobots. They were an impressive sight, all of them dwarfing the ranch house easily, glistening brightly in the winter sunlight. 

“Happy birthday titch,” said Hound, taking the external part of his helm off momentarily and tipping it to her as if it was a hat. 

“Yeah, happy birthday Red, enjoy it or whatever it is that you ‘umans do.” His thick Cockney accent made him drop the ‘h’. Drift nodded in agreement and didn’t say anything, but sunk into a deep bow, inclining his head towards Cordelia.

Bumblebee walked towards Optimus and reached up, clutching something tiny between a finger and thumb. 

“Here, just a little present for your birthday. It’s nothing much, but I saw it and thought you’d like it.” 

Cordelia reached up and took a ring from Bumblebee’s grasp. It was delicate and silver with a beautiful round bumblebee in its centre. She felt a wide smile slide onto her face. 

She showed him the ring, which she had placed onto her right index finger. “It’s beautiful Bee, thank you so much, I love it.” His optic ridges tilted up as his mouth plates moved into his slightly stilted smile. He reached up and ruffled her hair with the tip of one finger. 

“I’ll leave you both to enjoy your day.” He stepped back and stood straight and tall, his arms at his sides. His smile remained on his face when he addressed Optimus. “With your permission sir, I shall take my leave.” 

Optimus inclined his head to Bumblebee. “Of course, Bumblebee. As you were.” Bumblebee’s posture relaxed and he rubbed one hand across the back of his helm before transforming and zooming off, sending up a flurry of snow. 

Optimus chuckled quietly and closed his fingers gently around Cordelia, reaching up to place her on the balcony that was attached to the master bedroom. 

“I have run you a bubble bath, it’s ready and waiting for you.”

“Oh my gosh, that sounds heavenly. Thank you.” 

“You take as long as you need, little one. Once you’re ready, come down and we’ll head out for the day.” He reached up and gently ran the tip of his index finger down her face. 

“Okay big guy, I’ll see you in a bit.” He smiled warmly at her and transformed, backing himself into the barn that would shelter him from the harsh Montana winter.

Cordelia shut the double French doors behind her and laid her dressing gown on the bed before making her way through to the bathroom. 

The smell of lavender and jasmine hit her as she walked through the door, along with a subtle scent of vanilla, which seemed to be coming from a huge candle that had been placed on one corner of the bathtub.

Cordelia took off her clothes and stepped down into the water. It was hot and heavily scented, and totally heavenly. Since she was shorter than the total length of the bath, she could get away with lying totally outstretched in its depths. She shimmied down until the only part of her body that was out of the water was her head. 

She lay back and let her body be moved by the light motion of the water, enjoying the feeling of the soft bubbles over her alabaster skin. She let the water block out the sounds around her and soon she was aware of nothing but the gentle movement of the bath water.

She was pulled from her reverie by a sudden jerking movement from her abdomen. Smiling, she sat up slightly and placed both hands over the small bump, thinking back to the scan she had had the previous week, courtesy of Hound. 

.o

“So kiddo, your baby is cookin’ nicely. He or she is about the size of an avocado now. Now that you’re at sixteen weeks and in your second trimester, you’ll probably feel increased movement from the foetus.” Hound straightened to his full height as Cordelia straightened her jumper. 

They were inside the barn that Optimus usually took shelter in. Outside the weather was snowy but calm. In November, the temperature in West Yellowstone rarely rose above 2 degrees Celsius. Cordelia wore a thick, oversized grey cable-knit jumper paired with thermal black leggings. Over her leggings she wore grey legwarmers and a pair of brown winter boots. Her expanding waistline meant that leggings were playing an increasing role in her wardrobe. 

Burying her face into the thick folds of her jumper, Cordelia looked up at Hound. “Hound, how much do you know about pregnancy?” At his raised brow, she back-pedalled a little and rephrased her question. “What I mean is, have you learned any _more_ about pregnancy since you discovered mine?” 

He laughed and tucked his cigar into a little subspace on the side of his helm. “Sure titch, I was just teasin’ ya. But yeah, I have researched and I’m confident I know pretty much all there is to know about human gestation. For example, did you know that your baby’s circulatory system is now functional and the heart pumps an average of twenty-five quarts a day. It can also hear your voice and they’ll experience a growth spurt in the second trimester.”

“Woah, you really have learned everything there is to know.” 

“To be fair, Ratchet compiled a lot of data and knowledge about it before he…y’know.” Cordelia nodded sadly and patted his foot sympathetically.

“He was one hell of a bot. I miss him.” Hound leaned down and ruffled her hair whilst somehow imitating a perfect sigh. 

“You and me both kiddo. You and me both.”

.o

Another flurry of energetic kicks pulled Cordelia from her daydream. She smiled wryly to herself and splayed her fingers over her bump. 

“You sure are full of beans today.” She said quietly, watching with fascination as the skin over her bump moved and rose up with the movements of her baby. 

She thought about the odd sensations of popping and fluttering, her green eyes greedily tracking the movement of her avocado sized baby. She reached up and applied a little pressure in the space where the baby had last kicked. She was surprised to feel how rock hard the muscles of her abdomen had become. To her amazement, she felt a stronger kick in response to the pressure she applied. She tried again, but this time there was no kick. 

She smiled to herself. “You tired yourself out now huh?” She stroked the bump affectionately before pulling the plug and getting out of the bathtub. 

She wrapped the towelling dressing gown around herself and made her way through to the bedroom, opening the oak wardrobe. 

She decided on a brown knitted jumper, coupled with dark blue skinny maternity jeans and knee-high boots. She was grateful for the jeans’ elasticated waistline. It allowed her to sit down without making her feel like she was about to be cut in half. 

Once she was dressed, she made her way over to the dressing table and applied a little make up. She kept it simple, dabbing on some brown eyeshadow and a few coats of mascara. Since being pregnant, her hair had become thicker and glossier than it had ever been before. She squirted a little mousse into her palm, rubbing her hands together before working it through her hair from top to bottom. Her hair was now halfway down her back, falling in soft auburn waves that were not quite curly, but not straight either. 

The pregnancy had also added a bit of colour to her usually alabaster complexion, so she didn’t really need to apply any blusher. 

Satisfied with her appearance, she pulled on her heavy winter boots and made her way down the stairs. Optimus was sat in his favourite armchair, his well-thumbed copy of ‘Eragon’ clasped between his silver hands. 

Upon seeing her enter the living room, he stood, a warm smile on his face. 

“You look simply radiant, Lia. Did you enjoy your bath?” 

“Yes, thank you. That was the best way to relax after waking up. I feel so much more refreshed now. And someone else decided to treat me to a gymnastics show.” She said, subconsciously placing one hand over the small mound that was her abdomen. 

Optimus chuckled and opened the front door. “Shall we?” He stood back to allow her to exit the house first and then locked the door behind him. The red and blue Western Star truck was parked right in front of the house, glinting brightly in the sunlight. 

Optimus walked over to the passenger’s side and graciously opened the door for Cordelia, lifting her in easily with one arm. She settled herself in the comfortable seat that moulded itself perfectly to the contours of her changing body. 

A delicious warmth began to spread underneath her legs and back, and she snuggled down into it, keen to keep as warm as she could in the -3°C temperature. Optimus deactivated his holoform and reactivated it so that he was seated comfortably in the driver’s seat.

Cordelia raised an incredulous brow. “You’re gonna drive the human way?” 

Optimus side-eyed her as he eased the truck into gear. “Indeed little one, I am going to drive the ‘human’ way.” She watched as his boot like feet manipulated the pedals, finding the biting point perfectly. 

The truck moved forward smoothly, never deviating from the course that Optimus set it on. 

“Where are we going?” She asked, scrutinising his face for any clues. 

Optimus tapped his nose playfully. “That is for me to know and for you to find out. We’re only driving part of the way though. We’ll walk the rest.” 

Cordelia didn’t answer but merely nodded and set her gaze to look out of the window. The mountains that surrounded their ranch were all snow-capped with a few breaks of green pine forest. The morning mist was just beginning to rise, giving the whole environment a slightly eery feeling. 

Optimus hummed quietly to himself as he drove along, both hands resting easily on the steering wheel as he navigated the narrow single-track roads. 

A few weeks before he’d arranged for snow chains to be put on his vehicular mode, allowing him more purchase in the harsh driving conditions that came with living in West Yellowstone in wintertime.

Another ten minutes or so went by as they sat in a companionable silence, each happy to just enjoy the other’s company. 

Optimus brought the truck to a halt, turning to look at Cordelia. “Got any ideas yet?” He asked with a grin.

She gave him an answering smile. “We’re not going to the lake by any chance, are we?” 

“I thought you’d like to go there; it’s a beautiful place and I know you love it there. I’m going to transform now.” 

Cordelia undid her seatbelt and slid out of the truck, taking a step back as various truck pieces moved and shifted until they formed a thirty-two-foot-tall robot. 

Cordelia craned her neck so that she could see Optimus’ face as he tilted his head downward to look at her. He knelt in one fluid motion, causing a small snowbank to dislodge and shower Cordelia in cold clumps. 

“Pardon me, I’m sorry little one,” he said apologetically as he used one finger to gently dislodge the worst of the snow from her. When he’d removed all of the snow, he offered her his open palm. “Do you need a lift, milady?” 

She snorted with laughter and clambered onto his proffered palm, assuming her usual position of leaning back against his fingers with one arm hooked around his thumb.

There was the usual vestibular sensation that one feels when they first ascend in an elevator as Optimus rose to his full height. 

The new perspective that Cordelia had when at Optimus’ level never failed to take her breath away. She could see over the tops of all the trees and could even see cliff faces in the near distance. Somehow the mountains didn’t seem so enclosing from this point of view. 

She swayed to and fro a little with the smooth motion of Optimus’ walk. He trod carefully, mindful to avoid exposed roots and animal dens. Once he had inadvertently trod on, and subsequently squashed Director Charlotte Mearing’s Ferrari.

One handy trick that Optimus had was being able to send heat to any part of his body. Cordelia was particularly grateful for this as Optimus carried her through the dense forest. The warm metal beneath her helped to keep out the harsh sting of the winter air. 

“Lia?” Optimus’ voice came out a little higher than usual, causing Cordelia to look up at him in surprise. 

“Mmhmm?” 

“May I ask you a question?” 

“You just did,” she said, her tone teasing. “But you can ask me another if you want to.” 

The hand that Optimus was holding her in jostled slightly as he chuckled at her light-hearted response. “Do you find me…physically intimidating?” 

Cordelia pulled off the woollen scarf that was covering her mouth and chin, looking up at him in confusion. His enormous face was tilted down to look at her, his optics looking nervous, waiting for her answer. 

She pulled herself into a kneeling position on his wide palm. “What do you mean, ‘physically intimidating’? Op, I’m not gonna lie; that’s a _really_ random question.” 

His audial covers rotated this way and that as a myriad of different expressions crossed his face. “Well…I mean, are you intimidated by my size? The fact that I am…significantly larger than yourself…do you mind me holding you, picking you up et cetera…” his voice trailed off and she knew that if he was physically capable of doing so, he would be biting his lip.

“No, and I promise I say that with a million percent honesty. I mean, in the beginning it took a bit to get used to you. It’s not every day that someone meets a giant robot…but no, I was never intimidated by you. It was more getting used to being physically _aware_ of you. But I knew somehow instinctively that I could trust you as soon as I saw you, I mean, you wouldn’t have saved me otherwise, would you? You could have just let me fall…”

There was a loud whir as Optimus took in a large volume of air through the vents on the back of his head – his version of a gasp. “As for you picking me up and holding me…” she patted his hand affectionately and planted a small kiss on the tip of his thumb. “I love it. It makes me feel safe. Plus, who else gets a view like this when they’re travelling with their bestest ever friend?!” 

“Oh Lia, what did I ever do to deserve you?” He said quietly, looking down at her with an expression of pure adoration on his silver and blue face. 

With Optimus’ long stride, they made it to the lake in record time. He knelt and placed his hand down on the ground, allowing Cordelia to step off onto the powdery snow. The snowfall was deep, easily coming up to Cordelia’s shins. She was grateful for her insulated snow boots, safe in the knowledge that her feet would be toasty warm for the whole time that she was outside. 

Optimus straightened to his full height, surveying something out in the distance. 

Whilst his attention was momentarily diverted, Cordelia took advantage of the moment to take him in. 

She had to crane her neck to see all of him, and when his face was not turned down to look at her, she could just see the underside of his chin. His legs were like pillars next to her, the joints and hydraulics within them hissing as if in protest to the bitter cold. 

Grinning, she bent down, which was not as easy as it had been a few weeks ago. It felt as if she was trying to bend down whilst a bowling ball was attached to her abdomen. She had to put one hand down into the cold snow to counteract the effect of her new top-heaviness. 

She spread her arms wide and gathered as much snow as she could into her small hands. Risking a quick glance up at Optimus, she was pleased to see he had not yet turned his gaze back to her.

Scrunching the snow into a ball and packing it tight, Cordelia raised her arm in preparation for what she hoped would be an effective throw. The snowball sailed through the air and hit Optimus straight in his left knee. 

Cordelia couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing at the look of shock and surprise on Optimus’ face.

“Oh,” he rumbled ominously; “so that’s how you’re going to play it, is it?” He knelt and cupped a small (for him) handful of snow and dropped it lightly on Cordelia’s head. She gasped as it trickled down the back of her neck.

A hysterical and mismatched snowball fight ensued, Cordelia lobbing as many snowballs as she could at Optimus’ legs whilst Optimus gently flicked snow at her as she ran between his feet. 

After twenty minutes of rambunctious snow fighting, Cordelia collapsed in a heap. The baby inside her kicked hard, as if she was annoyed at having her quiet world rocked so energetically. 

Optimus folded himself into a truck and materialised his holoform, flopping down beside her in the snow. 

“That. Was. Awesome.” Cordelia said breathlessly, turning her face to look at Optimus. He was wearing a broad grin, his azure optics tilted upwards. 

“Well milady, you put up a fair fight. I concede defeat.” He got up and held his hand out to her. She took it and he hoisted her effortlessly to her feet. “Would you like something to drink?” She followed him as he walked over to the truck and produced a large green drinking flask. 

He deftly unscrewed the lid and poured the steaming liquid into it and then handed it to Cordelia. 

The warmth through the plastic cup was delicious to her cold hands, which felt like they were about to fall off. “You really do think of everything, don’t you?” She said, taking a long sip of the delicious hot chocolate. 

“As if I would bring you outdoors in minus temperatures without having a hot drink to hand.” He rolled his optics in mock indignation and moved to lean against the front tyre of the truck, folding his arms. 

Cordelia snorted hot chocolate down herself in laughter. He looked so _normal,_ yet so out of place at the same time, a robotic entity amongst all the majesty of nature. It was surreal, and she found her chest swelling with pride at the mere sight of him. 

.o

When the sun began its descent, Optimus deactivated his holoform and transformed to his robotic mode, once again offering Cordelia his open palm. 

Cordelia found herself dozing off on the short walk back to the ranch house, soothed by the sooth motion of Optimus’ walk and the warm surface of his metallic skin beneath her small body. 

She woke to a light jolt as Optimus laid his hand on the porch and very gently tipped her onto her feet on the ground. He rose, transformed back into the Western Star and materialised his holoform beside her.

“Hungry?”

She nodded and was treated to a delicious meal of chicken and mushroom risotto with birthday cake for dessert. It was delicious and after the dishes had been washed and put away, Optimus pulled Cordelia to sit with him on the plush leather couch.

“Now, it is time for your final gift.” He reached behind him and produced a small, rectangular parcel that was done up in simple, royal blue wrapping paper. He slipped it onto Cordelia’s lap. 

She reached for the label that had been tied to it delicately with red ribbon. It read;

_To my dearest Cordelia,_

_With love on your birthday, now and always,_

_Optimus_

She slipped her finger under a gap in the blue paper and deftly tore it open. She pulled out a small book, reading the title. _You are Amazing, Remember That: Inspirational Journal with Quotes on Every other Page._

She opened it to the first page, eager to read what was written on it.

_Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine_

“Oh Optimus, I don’t know what to say – thank you so, _so_ much. This has been one of the best birthdays that I’ve ever had.” She threw her arms around Optimus’ neck and clung to him like a koala bear, planting a small kiss on his cheek. 

He pulled back and smiled warmly at her. “Anything for you little one, now and always.”

.o

The rest of November passed quickly, and before Cordelia knew it, December was upon them. 

By the middle of December, the local town was strewn with Christmas lights and trees. Due to the fact that Optimus and Cordelia had missed their first Christmas on the ranch due to the war, they had not yet acquired their Christmas tree.

On one particularly cold day in the middle of December, Optimus expressed a wish to go to town and get a Christmas tree.

“Should we go? I don’t quite understand the human tradition of erecting a Picea tree within the domicile, but I quite like it.” 

Cordelia finished her tea and put the empty mug in the sink. “Sure, big guy, let me just go to the toilet and then we’ll go.” 

In the last fortnight, Cordelia’s bump had expanded even more. She’d had a short bout of morning sickness, but it hadn’t been as severe as the hyperemesis gravidarum that she had experienced in the first trimester of her pregnancy. 

She went to the toilet and then wrapped herself in her thick winter jacket, zipping it right up to her chin.

Optimus graciously helped her into his cab and then deactivated his holoform before materialising it in the driver’s seat, this time in his human guise. 

He eased the truck into gear and pulled easily out of the horseshoe shaped driveway, humming tunelessly to himself as the world on either side of them rolled by. 

It was about a twenty-five-minute drive into town and the time allowed Cordelia’s mind to wonder. 

She thought back to the Christmases of her youth, when she’d write letter after letter to Father Christmas, begging him for a new home and for her mother, wherever she was, to come back and take her away from her father. 

They’d never even had so much as a scrap of tinsel in the flat at Christmas time. Cordelia considered it a good Christmas if her father just fell asleep drunk on the couch without attempting to force himself on her. 

She’d been content to sit quietly in her room, making up endless scenarios of happy families sat at a hearty table, a steaming turkey taking pride of place in the centre. She imagined games of charades in the lounge after lunch, everybody’s bellies bursting from over-indulgence in the Christmas Dinner. 

She turned her gaze to Optimus, who had chosen a bizarre outfit of a light up Christmas reindeer jumper that sang ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’ when you pinched its nose, a pair of cargo trousers and finished the look off with a well-worn black leather jacket. 

He tapped idly on the steering wheel as he waited for a red light to change to green. The town had gone all out on the Christmas decorations. Angels and reindeers were strewn from all the lampposts, connected with multicoloured lights that swayed in the slight wind. 

Businesses had erected Christmas trees in their display windows, and the local toy shop had put an extravagant train set in the window, set in a snowy scene. Cordelia watched as the steam locomotive zoomed itself around and around, a little plume of steam following it. 

Optimus pulled into a conveniently sized parking space and turned the engine off. As Cordelia moved to unfasten her seatbelt, she felt a sudden flurry of activity behind her naval. It took her by surprise, the little flicking sensation that felt like a flurry of bubbles popping and moving behind her skin. She grabbed Optimus’ hand.

“The baby! She’s kicking again.” She watched as Optimus’ slightly wrinkled face melted into a huge smile. His whole hand still covered her bump, even though it had expanded considerably in the last couple of weeks. He ran his thumb back and forth over it affectionately, leaning down to speak directly to it. 

“Well, you certainly like to make yourself known, don’t you young lady?” A strong flicking motion answered him, almost defiantly. 

Cordelia laughed and cradled his hand in her own, using both as he still dwarfed her even in his human holoform. “Optimus, it’s just come to me!” 

He lifted his head to gaze inquisitorially at her, his blue eyes twinkling like his optics did. “Oh? What has just come to you?” 

“What we can call her! Well, not her actual name but kind of like a nickname! I don’t want to just keep calling her the ‘baby’, she’s a living thing inside of me and I want her to have a name, even if it is just a nickname for the time being. So, because of the flicking motion that she gives me when she kicks, how about…Flick?” 

He scrunched his face up in evident dislike. “Pardon me for saying so Lia, but her existence is so much more than a mere flick…it is”, he brought his hands together as if cupping an invisible ball. “She is like…a supernova. She has exploded into your life in a burst of colour and beauty; momentarily eclipsing everything else.” He rested one hand over her naval affectionately. “She is infinite, and deserves a name befitting her. My apologies little one, it is just, a name is an important part of any person’s life. It must be chosen wisely.” 

She smiled and rested her hand over his, marvelling at how _real_ his human skin felt. 

“Optimus, you don’t need to apologise, you are just as important in this baby’s life as anyone, you—” she sat up suddenly, the sudden movement dislodging Optimus’ hand. 

Worry found its way onto his face, his forehead wrinkling in obvious concern. “Lia? What is it? What is the matter?” 

She looked down at the small but growing bump and caressed it gently with a small hand. “Optimus, I think you’ve just found her name.” 

“Oh?” His eyebrows raised inquisitively, his blue eyes questioning her with their intense gaze. 

“Nova. Her name will be Nova. It’s perfect.” 

.o

They ended up picking up a seven-and-a-half-foot tall classic Christmas tree from a local Christmas tree farm run by a kindly old couple who insisted on having them both indoors for hot chocolate whilst their grandson prepared the tree for the journey back to the ranch.

Optimus politely refused his, but Cordelia gratefully accepted a mug of the steaming liquid, complete with marshmallows and cream. She stirred it all together, so it made a fluffy, mushy mix in her mug and drank it in record time. 

As the hot liquid travelled down into her stomach, she felt a sudden squirming sensation in her abdomen. Smiling silently to herself, she looked out of the window to see the old couple’s grandson making his way back up the garden path, his shoulders hunched against the winter cold. 

He let himself in through the back door, kicking the excess snow from his boots. 

“That’s the tree all rigged up for you Mr Prime, do you want a hand to carry it to your car?”

“That won’t be necessary but thank you for the offer.” Optimus said as he handed over a handful of bills to the teenager. 

Cordelia rose and shrugged on her jacket. “Thank you so much for the hot chocolate!” she called over her shoulder as Optimus held the door open for her. 

Once they were outside, Optimus bent low and picked up the enormous tree as easily as if it weighed no more than a bag full of groceries. He positioned it so that it was laying over his right shoulder, leaving his left arm (and arm of choice) free. 

“Jeez Optimus, do you want a hand with that?”

“No, it hardly weighs anything. I’ve lifted heavier scraplets.” He winked and his blue eyes caught the sunlight exactly the same way his optics did when he was in his robot mode. 

He secured the tree to the back of his cab using the red and blue chains that hung from it. 

The drive back to the ranch was full of cheesy Christmas songs, which they both sung as loudly as they could.

.o

The days melted together and soon it was Christmas Day and it was the best that Cordelia had ever had.

All the Autobots crammed their holoforms into the ranch house’s living room and patiently watched as Cordelia tried to teach them the basic principles of charades and Christmas crackers.

Bumblebee was easily the best at charades and Crosshairs snarled in temper every time he failed to guess whatever Bumblebee was miming. 

Leo arrived around midday for Optimus’ legendary Christmas dinner and by early evening, he and Cordelia were about ready to burst out of their trousers.

“At this rate I think I’ll need to borrow a pair of your maternity jeans Lia.” Leo said, patting his swollen belly. He settled back in the armchair by the fire, nursing a glass of red wine, twisting it to and fro by the stem of the glass. 

Cordelia had her own drink of lemon flavoured San Pellegrino. She felt that if she consumed any more food or drink, she truly would explode.

At nightfall, the Autobots excused themselves to go on patrol, leaving Optimus, Leo and Cordelia alone in the suddenly larger living room. 

Wordlessly, Optimus approached Cordelia and scooped her easily up into his armoured arms. She rested her head against his chest, feeling the warm thrum of his Spark against her cheek. 

He kept her cradled in one arm whilst he deftly pulled back the bedcovers with the other. He placed her into bed, which was deliciously comfortable and welcome after the long day of socialising.

The last thing she was aware of were his lip plates clicking on her cheek in his version of a kiss and his rumbling baritone voice wishing her goodnight.


	3. Chapter Three

New Year’s came around too quickly for Cordelia’s liking. 

She was just over four months into her pregnancy and annoying little doubts had started to creep into her mind, keeping her awake at night. 

She voiced these concerns aloud to Optimus on New Year’s Eve. They had decided to have a quiet night in and had invited Leo over to spend the night in the guest bedroom. Optimus made a magnificent meal of ale-glazed beef complete with a crispy onion crust, roast carrots and cream corn.

The flavours were deliciously well-balanced and the creamed corn’s gooeyness finished off the whole dish. 

Leo chased his last mouthful down with a generous swig from his glass of red wine. “I have to say Optimus, I’ve never known anyone to be able to cook like you – how do you do it?”

“It is a simple matter of carefully monitoring the polymers and molecules in whatever you are cooking. For example, when cooking meat as I have done this evening, I observe for an effect known as the Maillard reaction. Basically, observing the reactions between the carbohydrates and the molecules within the meat. It really is rather simple.”

He rose in one fluid motion and began to clear the dishes from the table, stacking them all up impressively on one arm whilst he collected their cutlery with his other hand. He deftly opened the dishwasher door with a well-aimed flick of his foot and within thirty seconds, the dishwasher was loaded and ready to go on. 

He returned to the table and folded his arms, resting his chin on the gauntlets that adorned his forearms. 

His cerulean optics found their way to Cordelia’s green eyes and his eyebrows came down in a slight frown. 

“Lia? Is something the matter? You’ve been noticeably quiet this evening and your cortisol levels have just risen significantly.” 

She didn’t answer straight way but fiddled with the necklace that Leo and Optimus had gotten her a few birthdays ago. She rolled the spherical charm between her finger and thumb, looking for any way to stall in answering Optimus’ question. 

New Year’s Eve had never been a particularly easy time of year for her. Odd that it was that way really; anybody would have thought that she might find Christmas more difficult, but no. Somehow, looking in on all the families gathered around their television screens getting ready to countdown to the new year was more difficult than seeing it at Christmas time. 

Whirring servos and silver fingers brought her back to the present as Optimus cupped her face gently in both of his large hands. 

Leo leaned forward, concern etched on his worn face.

“Lia, you know you can tell the both of us absolutely anything.” 

She tried to swallow but found it hard to get past the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. She dropped her eyes from Optimus’, unable to hold his gaze for long.

“I just…I’m worried. I keep having this bad feeling that something bad is going to happen or that I will let this baby down somehow…what if I’m a crap mother? What if I can’t give birth? What if you and Leo are hurt by the Decepticons? What if-“ 

Optimus brushed stray hands of her red hair back behind her ears and framed her face in his hands. “Shh, shh. You’re over-thinking things Lia. Leo and I will be here for you in whatever capacity you need, for both you **and** the baby.” His optics flared like twin supernovae, showing how much he believed in what he was saying.

Leo nodded in agreement. “Lia, I have every faith in you. You will make a fantastic mother, let me tell you now – that baby is lucky to have you as his or her mother. You are one in a million Cordelia and don’t let anybody ever tell you otherwise.” 

His hand moved up to rest on her shoulder. 

On one side she felt the weight of a human hand, warm, comforting and soft; and on the other a sturdy, metallic and safe hand. Both pushed her fears and worries away as easily as if they had been thin wisps of air. 

“You’re right. Thank you.” She scooted forward on her seat and wrapped one arm around each of them, grateful for the support they provided.

The rest of the evening passed in easy frivolity. 

Cordelia reclined on the couch, leaning against Optimus’ chest whilst Leo sat in the armchair nearest the large fireplace. 

When the bells sounded midnight, Optimus pulled Cordelia and Leo to their feet and embraced them both, resting his chin gently on the top of Cordelia’s head. 

Her cheek grew warm as she leaned her face against Optimus’ breast plate, listening to the happy thrumming of his Spark. 

This was her little family, and she couldn’t have been more content than right at that moment. 

.o

February arrived seemingly in the blink of an eye and winter had still shown no signs of loosening its hold on the ranch and the surrounding area. 

Cordelia had gone out to get a few baby supplies with Optimus and the other Autobots. On one such trip she and Optimus had bought a fancy diaper bag that came with an assortment of bottles and teats as well as an old-fashioned crib.

On another trip with Hound, she bought a pram that doubled as a car seat and a state-of-the-art baby monitoring system, complete with HD webcam and two-way sound.

One afternoon when the snow had been falling solidly for four hours, Cordelia decided to start clearing out the old office upstairs. Neither she nor Optimus used it and it would make a cute little nursery. 

Optimus was on patrol and would be for a few more hours, so she figured she may as well do something productive with her free time. 

The office window offered a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding landscape, and Cordelia thought the natural light would be greatly beneficial to a growing baby. 

She started with moving the smaller things out of the room first, like the swivel chair, side tables and small sideboard. 

She put all her weight against it and pushed it towards the door, leaving it as tucked away as she could against one wall of the landing. 

She made her way downstairs to fetch the vacuum cleaner, a little more out of breath than she would normally have been even a few weeks ago. 

She set the vacuum against the foot of the stairs and then ducked into the utility room that was just off the kitchen and grabbed the mop and bucket. Filling it with warm soapy water and pine-scented detergent, she took all three items up the stairs at the same time.

Five breathless minutes later, Cordelia plugged the vacuum into the power outlet and flicked it on. She worked it over the floor, wrinkling her nose as it picked up God knows how many months’ worth of dust.

It was satisfying to watch the old oak floor change colour from a dull brown to a vibrant mahogany. 

Once she was satisfied she’d gone into all the corners of both the floors and the walls, she traded the vacuum cleaner for the mop. 

Before she started mopping, she eyed the heavy desk in the corner of the room. It didn’t look _too_ hard to push and besides, it was only five or so metres to the door. 

Rolling up her sleeves and propping the mop up against the wall, Cordelia wrapped both hands around one of the desk’s thick legs and started to pull. 

No matter how hard or from what angle she pulled, the old desk didn’t budge a single inch. Despite the chill in the house due to the crisp winter air, she felt sweat trickling down from her hairline onto the nape of her neck. 

Spying a small gap between the desk and the wall, Cordelia squeezed herself into it, sitting slightly on the smooth surface of the desk. She brought both feet up so that they were resting flat against the wall and started to push with every ounce of strength that she could muster.

No matter how hard she pushed, still the desk did not move. 

“Argh!” She growled, slipping out from the narrowed gap and eyed the desk with a look of disdain. 

She turned back to face the large window and got the fright of her life when she saw a huge metallic face looking in through it. 

She laughed at herself and went over to the window, lifting the catch and letting it swing open into the room. She slid the mechanism in the other window out of its bolt and let that too, swing into the room. 

A few stray snowflakes blew into the room, bringing with them the cold afternoon air that caused the fine baby hairs on the back of her neck and her forearms to rise. 

Optimus regarded her with a stern expression, his optics narrowed and the lenses within them somewhat constricted. 

Cordelia felt the familiar rush of blood coming up from her neck and into her cheeks whenever she was embarrassed. She stood sheepishly on one spot and fiddled with her hands behind her back. 

“How long have you been standing there?”

Optimus simulated a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger. “Long enough. Lia, why didn’t you call for assistance? Myself or anyone of the other Autobots would have been more than happy to assist you.” 

He was bending his knees slightly so as to bring his face level with the window. Cordelia could hear the hiss of his hydraulic joints as if in protest to the bitter cold. 

“I honestly didn’t think about calling one of you…it didn’t even cross my mind.” She couldn’t stop a small grin sliding onto her face as she crossed the room and placed her hands on his cold lips. 

His stern expression melted at her touch as he leaned into it, his mouth plates forming a small smile. He gently nudged her with his nose and she gave him a playful shove (that didn’t move his face at all) in return. 

“Would you like me to assist you in removing the desk?” He jerked his chin toward the offending item. 

“Yes please. I can’t move it one inch.” 

He laughed his quiet, rumbling chuckle before he straightened and carefully inserted his hand and wrist into the room. 

Being around Optimus’ holoform so much had made Cordelia forget just how colossally **huge** he actually was. Seeing his hand next to a piece of human-sized furniture made the difference between them seem all the more ridiculous. She felt as if she was the doll in a doll’s house. 

He deftly wrapped his hand around the table with ease, making it look like a toy in his huge hand and lifted it with no more effort than someone picking up their mobile phone.

He carefully maneuvered it out of the window and turned around to place it on the floor. Cordelia approached the window and leaned out of it and saw hilariously that Optimus was leaning his hands on his knees so that his face was level with the window.

He followed her gaze downwards and offered her a wry smile.

“How much taller than the house **are** you then?” 

“Well, approximately twelve feet. Unless you wish to talk to my chest…it is necessary for me to lower myself, just a little.” He winked at her. “The cold is beginning to aggravate my intakes and it is not conducive to your health to have these windows wide open in the middle of winter. Would you mind if I parked myself in the barn and utilise my holoform?” 

Cordelia nodded and watched as Optimus folded himself into a Western Star and reversed into the barn. She heard the faint ‘zap-zap’ sound that his holoform made when it was materialising.

She turned to face him just as it completed. He stood perfect in front of her, everything normal about him except the size. He’d chosen to stand his holoform at six foot eight inches in height, so he still towered over Cordelia’s petite five-foot one-inch frame even at this size. Her head just brushed his chest armour, placing her at the perfect height to see the faint blue glow coming from his Spark chamber.

He surveyed the room through curious optics, turning in a slow circle until he was facing her once more.

“What made you want to start clearing out the office?”

“Well, I was thinking, I’m almost halfway through this pregnancy and we’ve made a start on getting what Nova needs, but there’s no room prepared for when she arrives…so I thought I’d start clearing out the stuff that we don’t need.” 

His optics rose in a small smile. “All you needed to do was ask for some help little one”, he placed both hands on her growing bump. “I want to be here for you in every way that I can be –” Optimus leaned down to rumble softly in her ear “ – even for the heavy lifting.” 

“Thanks, big guy” she said, leaning into his comforting embrace. She wrinkled her nose at the tired beige colour of the walls. “These walls need stripping and repainting. This colour is just…ugh.” 

“I have to agree with you about the colour. It does nothing for the aesthetics. I shall rectify it for you. What colours would you like to go for?” 

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “How about grey? A nice light shade and then we can accentuate it with oak furniture to match the floor...what do you think?” 

He kissed the top of her head with a soft click of his mouth plates. “Whatever you want, you shall have.” 

She was about to reply when her vision suddenly narrowed, and it looked like she was looking at everything through a dark tunnel. Optimus’ face swam in front of her, his voice becoming slow and distorted. 

Her balance faltered and Optimus caught her by the elbow before she fell over. 

“Easy little one, come here.” He gently manipulated her into a sitting position and raised her knees so that they were bent. “Put your head in between your knees, there’s a girl. I’m right here.” He kept a soothing hand on the small of her back and she concentrated on the feel of it there, using it to bring herself back into the here and now. “Good girl, this will help the blood flow back to your head.” 

She concentrated on the sound of his voice and the feel of his hand on her back. She tipped her head forward just in time as a wave of nausea overcame her. 

Optimus, bless him, was lightening quick and he caught the offending matter in his outstretched hands. 

Cordelia was mortified. “Oh my God, Optimus – I – I’m so—”

“Shh, shh. It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. Human bodily fluids have no effect on me whatsoever; to me this may as well just be water. Can you stand?” 

She nodded and got shakily to her feet, hanging onto the wall for support. 

She followed Optimus into the bathroom and watched him deposit the lumpy liquid into the toilet bowl and then wash his hands in the sink. He flushed the toilet and then turned to face her again, touching the back of his hand lightly to her brow. 

“Hmm, you haven’t got a fever. You may have overdone it with trying to move the furniture.” 

She smiled weakly and leaned against him, suddenly exhausted. Each one of her limbs felt as if they had ten-kilogram weights attached to them. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears, and she pressed her face harder into Optimus’ chest, trying to soothe the flaming sensation in her cheeks.

Optimus carefully scooped her into his arms and carried her bridal style into the master bedroom. He set her down on the king-sized bed and drew the plush fleece blanket up around her shoulders.

He moved to lay behind her and draped his long arm over her hip and abdomen. “You know, I believe you are experiencing what is known as the nesting instinct, when pregnant mothers have an urge to clean and prepare for the arrival of their infant.” 

“Oh?” Each one of Cordelia’s eyelids weighed a tonne and it was becoming a real effort to just keep them open. 

“All this talk of newborns reminds me of when I was growing up…I was a rather shy individual. I worked in the archives of Iacon, which was the Autobot capital on Cybertron. Sentinel had placed me there for my own protection, though I didn’t know this at the time. He…” 

Optimus’ low baritone rumbled incoherently as Cordelia lost the battle and succumbed to her exhaustion, sleep finding her easily. 

.o

It was late evening when Cordelia awoke to the sound of the front door banging shut. There was a faint rattling sound behind her, and she turned to find it was coming from Optimus.

Hysterically, Optimus ‘snored’, but only when he recharged on his back. The fan that was responsible for keeping his central processing unit sometimes slowed down too much when he was in recharge, but he still ‘breathed’ regularly by sucking air in through the vents on the back of his head. With the increased volume of air and gravity, the fan sometimes struggled to get back up to speed without rattling in its casing.

It was something Cordelia found hysterical and endearing at the same time.

“Hello? Anybody home?” Leo’s voice called from downstairs as Optimus rumbled into alertness, his blue optics flickering as he came back online. 

“Up here!” She pushed herself into an upright position and was pleased to find that she didn’t feel nauseous or dizzy in the slightest. A quick glance in the bedside mirror showed her that she had a classic case of bed head. 

She groaned and pulled her hair out of the tie securing it. Optimus, as always was very attuned to her and sat up in one quick motion, gathered her hair in both hands and braided one long plait down her back. 

“There you go little one.” He made to shimmy over to her side of the bed and stand up, but he failed to notice the blue fleece blanket caught in one of his boot-like feet. He sailed headfirst onto the floor, landing in a tangled heap of long arms and legs. 

“Oof!” His grunt of indignation did it for Cordelia and she collapsed into tears of laughter. 

“Oh Optimus, what are you like? Are you okay?” She wiped the stray tears from her eyes and stood.

Optimus regained a vertical base. “I am fine Lia. Was that Leo I heard?” 

“Yes, shall we go down and meet him?” He held his hand out to her and helped her up off the bed. “Are you going to be okay going down the stairs?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I feel okay now. Sorry – I don’t know what that was all about earlier.” 

He waved her apology away. “There’s no need to apologise little one, making another human being can be unpredictable at the best of times.” 

Leo was waiting for them downstairs, his hands clasped loosely behind his back as he examined the pictures on the mantle piece. 

His face broke into a wide smile when he saw Cordelia and he stepped forward, enveloping her in one of his famous bear hugs.

She inhaled the scent of his aftershave and the smell of the cold that still clung to him. She stood on tiptoes to reach up and ruffle his soft, curly hair. “You need a haircut, it’s got so poofy again!” 

His blue eyes rose skyward, and he laughed gently. “It’s my winter coat coming in.” 

She slapped him gently upside the head and took a step back. “You hungry?” 

“Ahh, you read my mind.” 

“Great, there’s left over pot roast in the fridge – fancy it with a jacket potato?” 

“Sounds perfect.” 

Optimus ghosted up behind her then, placing one hand gently on the small of her back. “Lia, I’m afraid Drift has gotten himself into a bit of a wreck a few miles off the main road and I am the only one with enough traction to pull him out. Simply transforming won’t help as he is wedged in too tight a space. I won’t be long.” He leaned down and brushed his lip plates along her hairline.

“Is Drift okay?” 

“Yes, he is fine. I believe the only thing he has dented is his pride.”

She smiled, rubbing small circles into the back of his hand with her nails. 

“Good. Go on, we’ll be fine.” There was the usual puff of air as his holoform dissipated. 

Leo clapped his hands together. “Right, shall we get this dinner going then?” 

Twenty minutes later, the pair of them sat down to oven-baked crispy potatoes, left over pot roast and a white wine vinegar dressed side salad. 

Cordelia took a sip of her Pepsi Max, enjoying the sensation of the tiny bubbles popping on her tongue. 

Pushing her plate to the side, she leaned forward on her arms and rested her chin in her hands, waiting for Leo to finish his last mouthful. He took a generous gulp of spring water and fixed her in his steady blue gaze.

“So, how goes everything with you love? That baby behaving itself?” 

At the mention of the baby, Cordelia’s hands automatically made their way down to cradle the ever-growing bump. 

The five-and-a-half-month bump had grown in size, but it was still not visibly obvious that Cordelia was that far along in her pregnancy. There was a definite bump protruding between her hips, but it looked more like she had stuffed a small watermelon up her top than an actual bump. 

“She’s good. She’s kicking me a lot more now – she seems to like kicking my ribs especially. Did I say we’d picked out a name?”

Leo’s eyebrows raised; his curiosity piqued. “Oh? What have you gone for?”

“Nova.” Even saying the name made her smile and made her throat ache with love for this little person whom she hadn’t even met yet. 

“Nova? That is…unusual. So you know you’re having a girl then?”

“Well, not exactly. But every time I picture her, I just see a girl. I can’t quite describe it, but she just _feels_ like a girl.” She noticed Leo chewing his lip thoughtfully, a somewhat troubled expression on his face. “What’s the matter?”

Leo sighed and made motions like a fish before he spoke. “Lia…you’re not going to like what I’m about to say…but I am only saying it because I love you and I think of you as my own daughter. Do you think that it is the right idea to raise this baby…with Optimus posing as its father? I mean, what kind of normal life will that child ever hope to know?” 

A cold sensation passed from Cordelia’s scalp down to the back of her neck. “Are you serious right now?! What kind of ‘normal’ life?! And what exactly is a normal life supposed to look like?” She tried to keep her voice even, but emotion overpowered it and raised it a few octaves above her usual pitch. “My life was never ‘normal’ if you care to remember, and it became even less normal the day I tried to end my life! And do you remember why I didn’t die? DO YOU?!” She screamed at him, the tears coming thick and fast now.

His face morphed into an expression of pure horror. “Lia, I—”

“Don’t! Just don’t.” She stood up roughly, knocking the chair over in her effort. 

She grabbed her coat from where it hung by the back door and stormed through it, slamming it with a force that sounded like it rocked the house on its very foundations.

Snow was falling quickly, and it was already a foot deep before it had resumed snowing. Her muscles burned as she pushed her way through the white powder, but she used her anger to fuel her aching legs, wanting to put as much distance between her and Leo as possible.

She loved Leo dearly and she would have done anything for him at any time, but he also infuriated her at times. He had never seemed to be able to understand the relationship that she had with Optimus and the love she bore him. 

_Maybe its jealousy,_ she thought idly, scrunching her face up against the bitter cold. _He knows I’ve never had a ‘normal’ life…and Nova can’t either! The world knows of my connection to Optimus now…I’m an accidental celebrity. Any kids of mine would never have a ‘normal’ life…_

She trudged on and on, not paying any attention to the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky or the way her shadow grew by the minute. 

When her hands were numb from the cold and she couldn’t feel her lower jaw, she looked up. She was surrounded by a cluster of dense pine trees and it was almost completely dark. She cursed herself inwardly for leaving her phone back at the ranch. 

She had no idea how long she’d been walking for, and it was far too dark now to try and make her way back safely through the dense forest. She did her coat up more securely and buried her hands in the deep pockets, wishing she’d had the sense to at least put on her scarf.

A little off to her left was an enormous, gnarled tree with a twisted stump that looked perfect for huddling into. She made her way over to it and cleared as much of the snow as she could before sitting down. 

She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and then rested her head on top of her knees.

The air was crisp and cold, and through the break in the tops of the trees she could make out the stars that had appeared in the inky black sky. She tried to pick out the constellations, but could not make out a shape, let alone a complex collection of distant stars. 

Sighing, she breathed some warm air onto her freezing hands and closed her eyes, taking in the sounds of the nocturnal animals as they scuttled around her in the woods.

Sometime later, how long she didn’t know, she heard the faint sound of the trees being carefully moved aside to make way for something much bigger. 

She lifted her head just in time to see one long blue and silver leg descend in front of her. 

Optimus dropped to his knees with a little more rush than he would do usually, causing the ground beneath them to shake ever-so-slightly. 

Cordelia saw silver palms coming at her from either side and let herself relax and be lifted by the Autobot leader.

Optimus cupped her tenderly in both of his hands, sending heat to his palms to warm her shivering body.

She felt, rather than saw him stand up and curled into the foetal position in his hands to try and retain what little natural heat she had left in her body. His thumb began rubbing her back soothingly, going up and down her spinal column. 

He held her close to his chest, close to the heat and frantic ‘zap-zap’ of his Spark. As she came into contact with his breast plates, she heard the ‘pulse’ of his Spark noticeably slow and resume a healthier rhythm. 

“Shh, it’s okay little one. I’m right here. I’ve got you.” His voice rumbled all around her, making it feel as if her very ribs were vibrating. 

“I’m sorry,” she croaked, struggling to make her voice come out clearly. “I didn’t mean to worry you, I’m sorry…I’m sorry.” She repeated it over and over until she didn’t know how to form the words anymore. 

“Shh, shh. Don’t speak Lia, just rest for a moment. We’re almost back at the ranch.” 

“Can we go into the barn? Please, I need to be with _you,_ not a holoform.” 

“Of course. I had anticipated that you might ask that. Don’t worry, Leo has returned to his domicile for the night.”

Cordelia didn’t respond verbally but patted his hand to show she’d taken in what he’d said. They were now so attuned to each other emotionally and physically that sometimes words didn’t even have to pass between them in order for them to communicate effectively. 

Within fifteen minutes they were back at the ranch and Optimus made straight for the barn, sliding the door open. 

He was too tall to simply walk through the barn’s door, so he had to crawl in on his hands and knees. “Pardon me little one,” he said as he withdrew one of his hands to support the weight of his upper body whilst wrapping all his fingers firmly around Cordelia in his other hand.

It would have been extremely comical to watch; a thirty-two-foot-tall robot going in through a door on one hand and two knees; vaguely reminiscent of a dog using a dog flap. 

Once they were inside, Optimus was able to uncurl to his full height. The barn was a generous height and he still had a good eight feet or so before he would have reached the ceiling. 

There was a ramp leading up to the ‘mow’ area where things such as hay, straw and grain would have been stored, and it was this ramp that Optimus reclined against.

He placed Cordelia carefully on his chest and cupped one hand behind her as a support so that she wouldn’t roll down onto his abdominal area. 

She leaned against it gratefully, greedily seeking more heat from his warm palm. 

There were a few minutes of silence before she brought her gaze to his concerned optics, knowing that he would not pressure her to talk or interrupt her when she chose to start talking. He would simply listen and be her pillar of support when she needed him most.

She shrugged out of her coat, it was wet with the heavy snowfall and it was stopping her from affectively absorbing the heat that Optimus was supplying her with. 

She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to do…I was just so…so angry. Do you know what happened?”

Optimus nodded the affirmative. “Leo filled me in upon my return from the ranch. I was a little…exasperated at the fact that he didn’t contact me the very second you left the house…but right now that is neither here nor there.” 

His optics remained fixed on her, taking in her tiny, shivering form. “The most important thing for me right now is to establish whether or not you are okay.” 

She smiled weakly at him, leaning back into his fingers. “I’m okay big guy. I probably over-reacted…ugh, it’s probably these damned hormones. I’m okay. I was angry at the time, but I’m not anymore. It doesn’t mean I agree with or like what he said, but what am I achieving by staying angry about it? Other than upsetting myself and Nova? No, the time alone allowed me to think.” 

He awarded her with one of his gentle smiles that was only ever reserved for times when they were totally alone. “You were not wrong to be angry or upset Lia, your feelings are valid and obviously Leo poked at a neuron when he said what he did. It is never wrong to feel angry or upset, just don’t let it _consume_ you.” 

He spoke with the eons of sagely wisdom that came from commanding and strategising, wisdom that came from fighting a losing war and watching his home world die. 

“I could not be prouder of you. When I think back to the little girl who landed in my palm all those years ago…I could never have imagined the beautiful, thoughtful, compassionate and benevolent young lady that you would turn into.” 

Her cheeks burned furiously at his words. Dropping her gaze, she said “umm, thanks. By the way—” she lifted her eyes to meet his, “—it’s ‘nerve’, not ‘neuron’.”

He crossed his optics at her playfully, his version of sticking his ‘tongue’ out at her. 

The hand that was cupped around her stroked her face with a gentle index finger, subtly touching her cheek at the same time.

He rumbled in a low hum, apparently satisfied with something. “Your temperature is coming back up to a healthy figure. It is currently 98.6 Fahrenheit.” 

“Thank you for coming to find me…and I’m sorry for running off like that.” 

“Shh, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for Lia.” 

“Thank you for listening.” She kissed the tip of his index finger and rested her hand on the tip of his thumb which had moved to lay lightly across her lap.

“I’ll always listen, by the AllSpark, you’ve listened to me enough times.” He paused and she heard him take in a large cycle of air through the vents on the back of his head. “Leo was quite distressed at that fact that he had inadvertently upset you. I honestly think it was not his intention. He was speaking from a place of love and I fully understand his concern, as I fully understand your reaction to it.” 

She smiled. Optimus, bless him, was always so determined to see the good in everyone. “I know,” she said, stifling a yawn.

“Oh, Cade and Tessa are stopping by for a visit tomorrow on their way back to Tessa’s college; is that okay?” 

“Oh yeah sure!” She exclaimed, excited at the prospect of seeing Cade and Tessa again. “It’ll be good to catch up with both of them.”

“Indeed.” Optimus’ smokey baritone rumbled around her and suddenly it was a fight to keep her eyes open. “Sleep little one, tomorrow is a new day.” 

She settled into the little depression in his chest that was the perfect size for her, almost as if his new body had been made for that purpose. His hand settled over her and sleep found her easily.

The barn creaked slowly into silence as the Prime and the tiny human female on his chest slept, completely unaware of the world around them.

.o

Cade and Tessa arrived the next morning at around eleven. Optimus had prepared a full English breakfast complete with bacon, eggs, tomatoes, hash browns, baked beans and sausages, all finished off with multiple rounds of toast.

Cade leaned back in his chair, placing his knife and fork down on his now empty plate. “I gotta say Prime, I didn’t realise you could cook! That was just awesome. Still gotta get used to seeing you in the kitchen!” 

“Ahh, thank you Cade. Anyone can cook so long as they apply logic and a little imagination. I enjoy experimenting with different foods and textures and seeing the outcomes.” 

“Yeah, but not all of them have been edible, have they?” Lia laughed, wiping a stray piece of egg from her cheek.

“Well, I’ll grant you that perhaps watermelon partnered with tuna fish steak was perhaps not the most brilliant culinary idea I’ve ever had.”

Tessa snorted as she was taking a gulp from her glass of orange juice and tried to disguise it as some sort of botched sneeze.

“Geez, that sounds gross. Umm, may I use the bathroom please?” 

Lia pushed her chair back and got up. “Sure, I’ll show you where it is.” 

Tessa followed Cordelia out of the kitchen, through the living room and up the stairs. 

Lia was suddenly self-conscious of her bump and pulled her shirt down over it, trying to conceal it beneath strategically placed arms. If Tessa noticed this, she didn’t say. 

Tessa ducked into the bathroom and emerged five minutes later. She smiled warmly at Cordelia, her blue eyes a stark contrast against her Texan tanned skin.

“So, Lia, how have you been doing since…” she let her voice trail off.

“Since all the alien craziness? Yeah, I’m not doing too bad. The baby is getting more active now – she’s most active in the middle of the night. She seems to think that is a great time to start rehearsing for the international gymnastics championship or something.”

“How far along are you now?”

“About five and a half months. What are you studying in college?”

Tessa tucked a stray strand of honey-blonde hair behind her ear. “My major is in International Relations and my minor is in Economics. I’m studying at NYU. It’s so amazing there – the city is full of so many opportunities. I’m trying to convince dad to get a cheap apartment near campus, but he hates the city so that’ll never happen.”

Cordelia moved into the bedroom and Tessa followed suit. She sat on the bed and patted the vacant space next to her, inviting Tessa to sit down.

“That sounds amazing. I don’t think I could live in New York – it seems too loud and busy.” 

“Yeah, it does take a certain type of person to live there; to be honest I still feel like a tourist most of the time. I still haven’t been up the Empire State Building yet. That’s something I really wanna do…so long as King Kong doesn’t come and kidnap me or something.”

“Heh, with what we’ve seen over the past year or so, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.”

The rest of the day passed quickly, all of them trading stories and jokes.

By the time the sun began its descent into the horizon, Cade stood up and stretched.

“Well, thanks Prime, Lia, for havin’ us an’ all that. ‘Preciate the food. We best be goin’ on Tess.” 

Hugs and well wishes were exchanged on the porch as they all said their goodbyes. Optimus and Cordelia stood side by side as Tessa and Cade drove away, waving like mad. 

They went back into the house and shut the door on the cold air outside, content to just sit and read together for the rest of the evening.


	4. Chapter Four

Mid-March found the ranch firmly stuck in the limbo that comes after winter and before spring. 

The first daffodils were trying desperately to poke their little yellow heads up through the half-frozen earth whilst small, delicate icicles still clung to the eaves of the house and barn. 

Early on one such morning, Cordelia awoke to low rumblings coming from just outside the double French doors which led to the balcony.

She turned over onto her side, unable to lay on her front any longer due to the now-sized melon bump protruding from her abdomen. 

Since she’d entered the third trimester, she’d had the return of nausea, though not as bad as it had been in the first trimester. Her left leg was being troubled by sciatica and sometimes her backside felt as if she’d sat on a red-hot poker. 

She pushed the dark blue duvet off herself and swung her legs over the side of the bed, tucking her feet into the thick fleecy socks that Optimus had so graciously gotten her when she’d grumbled about having cold feet during the night. 

At twenty-eight weeks pregnant, Cordelia’s bump had really ‘popped’ out, creating a lot of looseness between her hips and a lot of pain in the small of her back. If she looked down, she could no longer see her feet. Her centre of gravity had also been affected and she walked with the comedic waddle that she saw denoted in the Lifetime movies that Optimus watched when he thought no one was about. 

She nestled into her furry dressing gown that felt like an embrace and made her way toward the balcony doors.

“…be lying if I said I wasn’t worried by the increase in Decepticon chatter and transmissions. Particularly as they are originating from deep within abandoned Chicago.”

“Gah, those slag piles are nothing without Megatron and even with him they were about as good as a bit of cosmic rust in my aft.”

Hound’s voice also spoke in low, hushed undertones. 

Cordelia swallowed and pushed one of the doors open, stepping out into the cool morning air.

Optimus’ optics widened in surprise when he saw her. “Lia! This isn’t a normal hour of function for you; is everything okay?” His voice was slightly higher than usual, and his optics were ever-so-slightly squinting at her.

“Nothing’s the matter…the baby was kicking, and it woke me up. Is everything okay with you?” 

Optimus let his hydraulic joints hiss – a kind of hesitation for when he was thinking about what to say. 

She watched Hound slink away behind the barn, muttering something about needing to clean his heavy weaponry. 

The balcony placed her at about chest height with Optimus, but he had turned away from her to look at something in the distant horizon. 

“Optimus?” At the sound of her voice, he turned to face her again and his optics found her green eyes. A question hung in the air between them. “What were you and Hound talking about? Are the Decepticons back?”

His silver palm came up to meet her and he gently scooped her into his grasp, cradling his hand around her small body. 

She assumed her usual position on his hand; leaned back against his fingers with her arm curled around his thumb. 

He ground his mouth plates together and when he was at full size, it sounded something akin to a demolition derby. 

She rubbed his thumb encouragingly. “Come on big guy, spit it out.” 

“I…I don’t want to worry you.” This time when he spoke, his voice was low and husky as if he was trying to fight back a strong emotion. 

She motioned to be brought up to his face and he did so, looking at her through guarded optics.

She stood with some difficulty and placed both of her hands on the blue ‘goatee’ that adorned his chin. “Optimus…I’ll worry more if you keep things from me. We’re a team, remember? Do you remember how you felt when I first hid my pregnancy from you? I’m gonna be selfish now and ask you not to do that to me. I’m a big girl.” 

That awarded her a wry smile. “In contrast; you are a five-foot-one, one-hundred-and-ten-pound human. I’ve known bigger scraplets.” He winked at her before nuzzling her gently with his nose. “Ahh, you are so soft. Your weight in my palm is _home._ ”

“Nuh-uh. That’s not gonna work this time. Optimus, **please** tell me what is going on.” 

He simulated a long sigh, ruffling her hair with the expelled air from his nose. “In the last fourteen hours there has been an increased amount of Decepticon chatter. Nothing of any note thus far…but enough to make the humans pay attention.” 

“Are YOU worried?” 

The audio covers at the base of his ear finials spun this way and that, indicating that he didn’t really want to continue discussing this particular subject. 

“I am…worried about a few things, yes.” He set her gently back down on the balcony. “Lia…you need to pack a bag. Leo is on his way here. I have been called to London to liaise with a new organisation. We leave in an hour.” 

.o

Optimus held true to his word. Less than an hour later, he, Cordelia and Leo were driving swiftly along the US-287 heading north and towards Malmstrom Airforce Base. Bumblebee and Hound followed a few miles behind, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to themselves. 

Leo sat in the driver’s seat, casting anxious glances out of the corner of his eye to Cordelia, who was nestled comfortably in the passenger’s seat. 

“Lia…I’m sorry about what I said before. It was unfair and uncalled for. I hope you can accept my apology.” 

She leaned over and took his large hand in both of her small ones, squeezing it gently. “Leo…there’s no need to apologise. I know what you said came from a place of genuine love and affection. I’m sorry for my reaction.” 

Suddenly Optimus’ radio clicked on and Christina Perri’s sweet vocals filled the cab. 

_“I have died every day, waiting for you_  
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more”

Optimus set his radio to a rather tactful volume, his way of letting Cordelia and Leo know that he was not listening to their conversation.

Leo ran a hand through his mop of curly hair. “Oh Lia, you don’t need to apologise love. As long as you and I are okay.”

“’Course we are.” It was at that moment that Nova decided to start her daily round of somersaults.

Cordelia winced as a particularly strong foot was smashed into the back of her ribs. “Oof, do you have to do that _now_?” 

“Do what now?” The expression on Leo’s face was one of surprised puzzlement.

Cordelia shifted in her seat, gently but firmly applying pressure to her swollen stomach in the hope that it would encourage Nova to kick somewhere slightly less painful. 

Leo’s eyes widened in taciturn understanding. “Ohhh, the baby. What does it feel like when she kicks now?” 

“It used to feel like a little goldfish, swimming around and flicking their little fins against the bowl. Now it feels more like…someone tap dancing inside of me, or sometimes it feels like my womb is a washing machine with a frog inside it.” 

Leo snorted. “A washing machine with a frog inside it? I’ve heard it all now.” 

The rest of the drive passed fairly quickly, considering the long distance. The only noise was the light sound of the pitter-patter of rain on Optimus’ windscreen and the dulcet tones of Johnny Cash coming from the speakers in the cab. 

By early afternoon, they pulled in through the heavy gates that guarded Malmstrom Airforce Base.

A short soldier with a classic military buzz-cut instructed them to go to the second hangar on the left, where two C-17s were waiting to be boarded. 

Optimus drove himself slowly up the ramp into the belly of the waiting aeroplane before popping both his driver’s and passenger door open. 

Cordelia and Leo hopped out of Optimus just as Hound and Bumblebee drove up the ramp behind them. 

Optimus transformed but was unable to uncurl to his full height as the plane’s ceiling was too low. The top of Bumblebee’s head just brushed the ceiling and Hound faced the same problem as Optimus. 

Optimus seemed to be slightly exasperated by this fact and awkwardly lowered himself to sit against one side of the plane, one knee bent and the other leg stretched out as much as he could get away with. 

Hound walked away, mumbling indecipherably to himself. Bumblebee settled against a pile of military crates and began fiddling with something in his silvery fingers.

Leo went up front to talk to the pilots whilst Cordelia hung back with Optimus, leaning lightly against his thigh. 

They exchanged no words as the crew took a register of all aboard the plane; Autobots and humans alike. 

Unlike commercial air flight crew, this crew were in military uniform. 

A kindly looking woman with deep brown hair approached Cordelia, eyeing Optimus a little apprehensively. “Sorry madam, but for take-off you need to be in the jump seat.” She indicated a flip down seat attached to the wall of the aircraft. She looked up at Optimus. “Erh, Mr Prime, I’m afraid you have to be in your vehicle mode, with your handbrake applied for both take-off and landing. Once we reach a cruising altitude, it will be safe for you to transform.” 

If Optimus was annoyed by the woman’s request, he didn’t show it. He merely nodded at her and folded himself back into a Western Star, nodding to Bumblebee and Hound to do the same.

The woman helped Cordelia to strap into the jump seat. It was complete with a criss-cross style shoulder harness and a standard lap belt. As the woman leaned over to secure the last strap into its holder, Cordelia noticed a badge on the left side of her chest that she had never seen before and did not recognise. 

The badge itself was almost a chevron shape and black in colour. It sported an upside-down ‘V’ with a skull placed over it. Underneath this were three capital letters: T.R.F.

A question rose to the base of Cordelia’s throat, but she thought better of it and swallowed it back down. 

The aeroplane’s lights flickered momentarily as the ramp was lifted and secured into position. The crew completed their pre-flight checks and then settled themselves into their own jump seats. 

Leo sat directly opposite to Cordelia, the same harness and straps holding him in place. He gave her a thumbs-up as the plane rocked into motion.

It unnerved Cordelia that she wasn’t able to see out of any windows whatsoever as the plane made its slow progress towards the runway. 

She turned her gaze to the Western Star truck which sat as close as was physically possible to her. She reached out her right leg and rested her foot gently on one of Optimus’ enormous tyres. His RPMs increased quietly, acknowledging her.

She wrapped both hands tightly around the straps that lay across her chest and squeezed her eyes shut as the plane steadily increased in speed as they got closer and closer to the runway. 

When the plane reached a full stop and rocked on its wheels for a second that seemed to last for eternity, Cordelia knew that take-off was imminent. 

Without warning, the plane lurched forward and Cordelia was pushed back into her seat. There was the usual vestibular sensation that she had left her stomach behind as her body ascended into the air. 

Within fifteen minutes, the pilot announced over the loudspeaker that it was now acceptable for passengers to undo their safety belts and transform. 

Optimus attained his robot mode just as Cordelia undid the last of the belts that were securing her to the jump seat. 

He resumed the position he had been in before take-off, his silvery palm face up on the floor. Cordelia climbed on and was gently deposited onto his right shoulder.

“Are we flying to London?” Cordelia kept her voice low, not wanting anybody to overhear her. 

She cast her gaze quickly over at Leo, who was chatting quietly with Hound in the far corner of the aircraft.

“Yes, we are flying to a base in Northolt.” Optimus, replied, his voice equally as low. Cordelia never failed to be impressed that somebody who did not possess a pair of lungs was able to imitate a whisper so perfectly. 

She leaned against the side of his head, absent-mindedly tracing circles into the base of Optimus’ audio covers with her fingertips. 

“Optimus, what is the ‘TRF’?”

Optimus hesitated before her answered her. “The TRF is a new organisation that has, for all intents and purposes, replaced Cemetery Wind. TRF stands for…” he cast a nervous glance around the aircraft before continuing, “…it stands for ‘Transformers Reaction Force.’ I just hacked into MI6’s database under the guise of a youth performing a prank and ascertained that the TRF is an organisation formed by Earth’s governments as a paramilitary force out to combat any and _all_ Cybertronians on Earth…including any human sympathisers.” 

Optimus’ words sent a cold trail of ice down her spine; a black ball of despair that settled at the pit of her stomach. “Combat…do they mean…kill?” 

Optimus nodded grimly. “Lia, I promise you this. I will not allow you to be in any danger whatsoever. That is why I have arranged for you and Leo to stay out of harm’s way whilst I liaise with the appropriate organisations and individuals.” 

“Where?”

“A small cottage in South Wales. It is far enough that you will be out of immediate danger, but close enough that I can get to you quickly, should the need arise.” 

“But Optimus…I don’t want to be apart from you at all.” 

“Nor I from you little one, but right now, your safety, and that of your unborn child is more important than what I want.” He turned and brushed his lips softly across her swollen abdomen. “It is only for as long as I have to ‘smooth things over’, as the humans say. I promise you; it won’t be a minute longer.”

“As long as **you** are safe. Promise me something Optimus?” 

He regarded her with a raised optic ridge. “What can I do for you little one?”

“Make sure you are safe…make sure you can **always** get back to me. Even if it means…even if it means hurting humans.”

He simulated a sigh and nodded. “I promise little one. You are and always will be my most important priority.”

.o

As the plane began to descend over the city of London, Optimus placed Cordelia gently back into the jump seat and transformed himself back into his vehicle mode. 

Cordelia dug her heels into the floor of the aircraft, bracing for the inevitable jolt when the plane’s landing gear met the runway. 

Optimus, Hound and Bumblebee all rocked on their wheels as the plane touched down on the tarmac. 

Cordelia shut her eyes and took a big breath in before letting it slowly out through her nose.

The minute that it was safe to do so, Cordelia and Leo unfastened their seatbelts as the other Autobots all transformed at the same time.

They were guided from the aircraft down the exit ramp by two TRF soldiers, motioning the way down with light wands. 

Optimus descended the ramp first and waited at its base, making the C-17 look like a child’s toy. 

Cordelia stood next to his left foot, placing a nervous hand on his ankle joint, which was slightly lower on his new body than it had been on his old one. Leo stood nearby, his practiced eye taking in the new surroundings.

Optimus leaned down, cupped both hands around Cordelia and lifted her into the air, bringing her close to his face. The TRF agents jumped at the movement and Optimus cast them an annoyed glance.

“Lia,” his voice was pitched to its lowest tone, meant only for her. “Lia, you and Leo are going to drive to the cottage from here. Crosshairs and Drift will escort you. Once I have finished my discussions with the TRF, I will fly there to join you.” He dipped his head downwards and pressed his flat nose into her hair. “Stay safe my little one. I will see you soon.” 

Cordelia pressed herself fervently against his face, planting a sloppy kiss on his Prime sigil. “I will, but you need to stay safe too, okay?” He rubbed his nose gently up and down her face, a sort of Eskimo kiss, before he bent down and set her gently back down on her feet.

A blue Vauxhall Corsa had appeared in front of them and a TRF agent got out. Leo moved around to get into the driver’s seat and motioned for Cordelia to get into the passenger’s side. She cast one last look at Optimus before she folded herself into the car and shut the door.

Leo pulled out of the base and onto the main road. Cordelia watched the houses float past the window, framed by the harsh glow of the streetlights which stood like sentinels along the pavement. 

They passed high streets, giant shopping centres and more roundabouts than she cared to count. At long last, they joined the flow of traffic on the motorway. 

“Ugh, I’ve always hated driving through London.” 

“Mmm.” Her reply was non-committal, hearing but not really listening to what Leo had said.

Leo looked at her quickly. “Lia? Is everything okay? Is the baby kicking you?”

She had to fight past the sudden fog in her mind to fully process what Leo had asked her.

“What? Oh, no, she’s fine. I think she’s sleeping.” She rubbed a hand over her swollen belly, shifting in her seat to try and get more comfortable. 

In the door mirror, she could see the lime green Chevrolet Corvette Stingray being closely followed by the electric blue Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse.

“Leo…can I ask you something?” Her voice was a little higher usual as she tried to swallow the apprehension to the back of her throat. 

“Of course, you can always ask me anything, you know that Lia.” 

“Do you think…do you think I’ll make a good mother?” 

“Oh Lia, of course I do. I don’t _think_ you’ll make a good mother; I **know** you’ll make a good mother.” 

She leaned back into the seat, reaching forward to turn the seat heater on. Although March in the United Kingdom was nowhere near as harsh as the winters she’d weathered on the ranch in Montana, there was still a slight nip in the air.

Delicious warmth began to spread underneath her, warming her cold legs and the small of her bag. She snuggled down further into the seat, trying to absorb as much of the heat as possible.

“It’s just…I have next to no memories of my own mother. I have a few hazy pictures of a lady in my head with the same colour red hair as mine, but how do I know they’re real and not just a figment of my imagination? What if I screw this baby up the same way my dad screwed me up?! What if I don’t know what she wants when she cries? What if she asks me about her father? What if –”

“Shh, shh. You’re overthinking it Lia.” Leo soothed her, taking one of her hands and rubbing his thumb back and forth over her bony knuckles. “It isn’t going to be easy, but me and Optimus will be there for **every** step of the way. I know you’re frightened –“, he lifted her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it, “—but know that I am **always** proud of you Lia. Always.”

Cordelia was about to answer when her stomach decided to emit a thunderous rumble. 

“Oh god, I’m so sorry.” She said, looking down as her cheeks burned. 

“What are you apologising for my girl? If you can manage to reach around to the back, there’s some packets of crisps, some drinks and a couple of sandwiches.” 

“Oh Leo, have I ever told you how awesome you are?” 

He said nothing but winked playfully at her before turning his attention back to the road. 

Cordelia loosened her seatbelt a little before turning herself around in her seat with some difficulty. 

There was a Tesco ‘bag for life’ on the back seat and she was able to reach over and grab it with one hand and bring it through to the front. She placed the bag between her feet in the footwell and delved through its contents.

Her hands closed upon a sandwich first and she pulled it out to see that it was a chicken club sandwich. “Do you have any preference as to which sandwich you want?” When Leo shook his head, she tore open the packaging of the club sandwich and took a generous bite from it.

In record time she finished the sandwich and washed it down with a glug of Pepsi Max. She tucked the packaged back into the bag, taking care not to spill any of the crumbs onto the car’s floormat. 

Next, she pulled out a packet of crisps, feeling her mouth break into a wide grin when she saw what flavour they were.

“Oh, you didn’t!”

He returned her grin, the wrinkles around his eyes creasing in only the way his could. “Optimus told me just before we left that you were showing a certain proclivity for the consumption of pickled onions. I didn’t think an actual jar of pickled onions would be a good idea on a long car ride, so I figured that pickled onion flavoured crisps would be a good substitute.” 

“Well, you did good Leo!” She tore open the packet of crisps and plucked one out, popping it whole into her mouth. At once, the flavour exploded on her tongue, a zingy, tangy explosion that sent her taste buds into the stratosphere. 

She took another sip of Pepsi Max, and the cold liquid seemed to have roused Nova from her catnap, because she felt a sudden flurry of kicks aimed at her ribs. She pushed down on the right side of her bump, trying to encourage Nova to distribute her kicks a little more fairly. 

“She kicking again?”

“Yeah, I don’t think she likes pickled onions very much.” The kicking continued for a few more minutes before it died down. What felt like an elbow was jabbed into her abdomen, causing her skin to bulge out. 

Leo’s eyes widened. “Woah, that’s amazing! Does it hurt when she does that?”

“No, it just feels like my skin is being stretched, which I suppose it is. What sort of time are we expecting to get to the cottage?”

Leo glanced at the LCD display on the car’s console. It declared that the current time was 17:52. “Hmm, I reckon we’ll get there for about half-seven. That sound good?”

“Yup, that sounds good. I hope Optimus won’t be too long after us.” 

“I would imagine he’ll be a few days or so – he has a lot to iron out with the TRF.”

“What the heck are they supposed to be? The ‘Transformers Reaction Force’? Optimus was able to hack their database whilst we were on the flight. He said that they were set up by Earth’s governments to combat any and all Cybertronians on Earth.” 

“Hmm. Yes, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried by their existence. But don’t you worry Lia, Optimus can handle himself. He asked me to make sure that you don’t worry ‘excessively’, as he put it. He said what he wants you to concentrate on your pregnancy and keeping yourself as comfortable as possible.” 

She rolled her eyes at this last statement. “Ahh, he’s such a worrier.” 

“Hmm, I could say the same about somebody else I know.”

She cast him a side-eye glance. “Speaking of Optimus…how are you two getting along these days?” 

“We’re doing okay Lia. I know we have…words sometimes, but that is only because we both only want the very best for you…sometimes we just express it differently.” 

“Good, because I love both of you more than I know how to say. 

After they reached the Severn Bridge, the rest of the drive passed relatively quickly. Cordelia reclined her seat and settled down for a nap, taking advantage of Nova’s inactivity.

.o

It was totally dark when Leo gently shook her awake. She stretched lightly and undid the seatbelt, putting her seat back in an upright position. 

“We’re here.” He exited the car and came around to the passenger’s side and opened the door. He held his hand to Cordelia and helped her regain a vertical base upon exiting the vehicle. “That will need its own axis soon!” He motioned playfully at her bump and she stuck her tongue out at him in response. 

When Optimus had mentioned the cottage, Cordelia had pictured a small and run-down stone building with a patchy thatched roof. She was utterly surprised when she saw a quaint grey-stoned building with an extension on the lower right-hand side. 

It was situated on a small patch of lawn, a stone footpath leading up to the stable-style front door. It was surrounded by a hand-crafted stone wall, creating a sense of calm serenity. 

A large blonde lady appeared in the doorway of the house and approached them, a warm smile on her moon-shaped face. 

“ _Noswaith dda! Sut wyt ti?_ Welcome, how was your journey?” 

“Ahh, _roedd yn dda, diolch,_ ” Leo responded in perfect Welsh.

“Ahh, _siaradwr brodorol! O ble wyt ti?_ ”

“ _Rwy'n dod o Fannau Brycheiniog, ond symudais i America flynyddoedd yn ôl. Rwy'n ôl am ychydig._ ”

“Ahh, good to see you still have the mother tongue! I am Mrs Jones; I own the cottage. Anyway, I’ll leave you to your evening. Here’s the keys and there’s some cawl heating on the stove. Have a good evening my loves!” 

Mrs Jones got into a classic Volkswagen Beetle and spluttered off down a one-track lane, disappearing quickly into the darkness.

Leo took Cordelia’s hand and led her up the garden path and into the cottage. 

Cordelia sucked in a surprised breath as she crossed the threshold. The front door opened up into a light, airy kitchen where cream and white were the main colour themes. A fishbowl vase full of pink lilies sat on the circular dining table, adding a little splash of colour to the cheerful space.

She walked up four steps to the lounge, which was beautifully cosy. A pale blue, two-seater fabric sofa sat on a peachy coloured carpet. The kitchen’s colour scheme of cream continued into this room, bringing a contemporary but inviting feeling. A log burner sat in the corner, already stacked with logs. Oak was the choice for the wooden pieces of furniture in the living room. A coffee table sat in the centre; this time a vase of white lilies had been placed atop it. A matching end table holding an elegant lamp sat to the left of the couch whilst a small sideboard sat beneath the small television that was mounted to the wall. A wicker chair sat underneath the curving stairs. 

She followed the brown-carpeted stairs into a king-sized bedroom. A huge double bed dominated the room, giving her 1950s vibes with its white head and foot frames. It was dressed in pale blue and pink bedsheets. Small white bedside cabinets stood at either side of the bed, one holding a lamp and an old-fashioned alarm clock, the other holding just a lamp. A white wire framed clothes wrack sat along one wall, next to a small white dressing table, complete with a little stool. The wooden ceiling beams added a rustic and homely feel to the room. The bathroom was just off the bedroom, boasting a beautiful copper free-standing bath with a shower-head attachment. 

Cordelia turned her head at the sound of the stairs creaking. Leo emerged and came to stand at her side in the bedroom. “So,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “how did Optimus do?” 

“I don’t know what to say…this place is absolutely beautiful. He did great. I do have one question though…where are you gonna sleep?”

“Ahh, did you notice the extension on the side of the house when we arrived?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s the guest bedroom. I’ll be kipping in there.” 

She smiled warmly at him. “Perfect, all we need now is for Optimus to get here and our little family will be complete.” 


	5. Chapter Five

Optimus landed at the cottage about ten days after Cordelia and Leo had arrived.

Cordelia was in the small vegetable garden, picking the leeks that were ready for harvesting. She wore an outfit of blue ripped jeans and a white vest top coupled with a red and black lumberjack style shirt that she wore unbuttoned.

In the last week or so, her bump had popped out to such an extent that she could no longer see her feet when she was standing up. It made bending over even more difficult than it had been before. 

A sudden puff of wind ruffled her hair and she turned around to see that Optimus’ human-sized holoform had materialised before her. 

His blue optics widened as he drunk in her appearance. He opened his arms and she fell into them, dropping the wicker basket that she had been carrying. 

She inhaled his clean, mechanical scent; a perfect fusion of metal and that ‘new car’ smell that clung to his very being.

His hands moved up her spine, splaying into the small of her back, holding her closer to him. “Hmm, this was easier to do the last time I saw you.” He rumbled against her hair, pulling back to look down at the bump that had exploded in size over the last ten days.

“She’s growing quick nowadays. How did your meetings with the TRF go?” Optimus’ lips turned down to form a scowl.

“They went as expected. Would you like to take a walk with me? I am parked just behind the house. I…have a few things to tell you about.”

Cordelia nodded and followed him out of the garden and around to the back of the cottage. The red and blue Western Star gleamed innocently in the early morning sunlight, a backdrop of rolling green hills framed by dark green hedges completing the scene.

As they drew near the truck, Optimus deactivated his holoform and the familiar clanks and whirs of a transforming Cybertronian sounded until the thirty-two-foot Autobot leader stood before her.

He knelt in one fluid motion, offering his palm to her. She went to step on, but her bump threw her off her centre of balance and she stumbled a little. Optimus used his other hand to catch her and manoeuvre her gently onto his palm.

“Easy does it little one, are you okay?” 

“Yeah big guy, I’m okay.” He waited until she was seated in his palm before rising to his full height. 

“There’s a gorge near here that I happened to spot as I was making my descent earlier, would you like to check it out?” 

She nodded and settled herself back against his curled fingers, wrapping an arm around his thumb. His fingers shielded her small body from the slight draught that blew around her from the motion of his walk.

“So, how do you like the cottage?” He lifted the hand she was in and gently placed her on his right shoulder in the space between his metallic collar and his neck.

She settled herself into the crook of his neck, leaning against the base of his ear finial. Heat started to spread beneath her as Optimus warmed up the area she was sitting on, keeping her basal temperature constant.

“It’s beautiful; how did you find it?”

“It was on a holiday website. I paid Mrs Jones for an eighteen-month rental period. I didn’t know and I still don’t know how much time we’ll need here in the UK.” 

He emitted a small puff of steam from his nostrils as he picked his way carefully through the Welsh countryside, making sure to avoid exposed animal dens and roots with his immense feet.

The mountains here were a lot tamer than the mountains of West Yellowstone that Cordelia had grown so accustomed to. 

Although still beautiful, the Welsh mountains were less ragged than those surrounding the ranch. They stood like silent, solemn sentinels, timeless witnesses to the ever-changing landscape.

A sudden flurry of activity in Cordelia’s abdomen brought her attention back to the here and now. She moved a little on Optimus’ shoulder, shifting her weight to get more comfortable. 

A large blue optic swivelled around to look at her. “How has her movement been?” 

“She’s pretty calm to be fair. Most of her movement happens at night – probably practice for when she’ll keep me up screaming all through the night.” 

He raised an optic ridge at her words. “Why would she keep you up screaming through the night?”

Cordelia shrugged. “Well, she probably won’t scream _all_ night, but she won’t sleep through the night for the first few weeks at the very least. Babies need regular feeding through the night.” 

Optimus looked slightly perturbed at this new information. “Can’t they just have the recommended three meals a day like most humans seem to have?” 

She laughed gently at him, leaning back against the base of his ear finial. “No. Babies have really small stomachs and they need to eat little and often. They also need to be winded after a feed.” 

Optimus made a face. “Babies sound…complicated.” 

She rubbed the base of his ear finial affectionately with her knuckles. “You don’t need to worry about a thing big guy, I’ll handle all the ins and outs of babyhood.” 

“Well, I’ll at least take the night shift feeding for you. It’s the least I can do to ensure that you get a proper night’s rest so that you can be prepared for the next day.” 

Cordelia stifled a laugh. “Aww bless you, but I’ll have to do the feeding shifts twenty-four-seven. I’m gonna breast feed her.” 

Optimus stopped short, turning his head so that he was looking at her directly in the eye. “You mean to give her nourishment from your…mammaries?” 

Cordelia gave an unladylike snort at his fearful tone. “Yup! When a woman has a baby, the tissues within her breasts make milk, to feed the baby. It’s full of antibodies, nutrients and helps the baby put on weight in the first few weeks.” 

She swayed a little on his shoulder as he resumed walking. “Oh…is there not an alternate form of nourishment, so that you may rest uninterrupted through the nights?”

“Well, there is formula, but science has proved that it isn’t as effective or as nourishing as breast milk.”

“I just want to be of some assistance to you when she arrives…I don’t want you to shoulder this burden alone Lia.” 

“Oh Optimus, I could always express I suppose and put it in a bottle if you really wanted to do the night shift with her. You never know, she might be an awesome baby and sleep right through.” 

“Pardon me for all the questions Lia, but what do you mean by ‘express’?” 

“Oh, sorry big guy, I’m not thinking.” She felt the familiar rush of blood to her cheeks whenever she became slightly embarrassed about something. “Expressing milk is basically…umm…pumping the milk from your breast into a bottle or a jug and saving it for the baby to have later. You can take it out and about with you in case you can’t feed the baby in public or if you won’t have the privacy et cetera.” 

Optimus’ faceplates scrunched downwards to form a frown. 

“Okay, I understand the need for freezing and stockpiling, but why would you be unable to feed a baby in public?”

Cordelia sighed and leaned against the side of Optimus’ head. It was warm from the springtime sunlight, and the feeling seemed to warm her very bones. 

“Because most of humanity is a dickhead and people take offence to women feeding their babies in public. Or men take it as an excuse to give themselves an eyeful.” 

“But what could be more natural than a mother feeding her offspring in the way that they were meant to be fed?” 

“Heh, there’s actually a woman I’m following on Instagram who regularly posts about feeding her son in public. One time, someone commented on one of her photos how disgusting and unnatural it was that she was sexualising herself and feeding her son in that way. What made it so funny is that the guy spelled boobs as ‘b-o-i-b-s’. She made a load of merchandise and money off the misspelling and now the joke is on him.”

Optimus chuckled, a slow quiet rumble that made its way up his frame and settled at the base of his throat.

Cordelia pushed herself forward on his shoulder, noticing something on his throat that she had never noticed before. There was a facsimile of an Adam’s Apple on his throat, just where it would be on a human man. 

He noticed her looking and raised a brow at her. “What has caught your attention?”

“I’ve never noticed before, you have an Adam’s Apple.” 

Almost immediately his left hand came up, his fingers brushing over it gently. 

“Ahh, that is where my vocoder is located. In my old form, my vocoder was more concealed within my ‘throat’ armour as it were, so you wouldn’t have seen it before.” 

“Cool!” She settled herself back into the crook of his neck, leaning her head against the side of his ear finial again. 

The remainder of the walk was spent in a comfortable silence, the only sound being the birds singing in the trees and the light crunch of gravel that turned to powder beneath Optimus’ feet as he walked. 

After about twenty minutes, they emerged at the beginning of a sparse wood. The trees stood tall, but far apart. In the distance, Cordelia thought she could hear a low rumbling. 

Optimus reached up and plucked her up carefully between two fingers, leaving her to settle in his palm. 

“Everything okay big guy?” 

“Affirmative, but these trees go quite low and I will need to bend down to avoid damaging them. I did not want to risk you falling from my shoulder.” 

She patted his thumb affectionately. “Fair enough big guy.” 

Sure enough, as they made their way deeper into the trees, they started to get smaller and closer together. Optimus bent low from his waist, tucking Cordelia carefully against his chest, curling his fingers over her to prevent the long branches from scratching her small body.

He pushed through a curtain of hanging ivy and emerged into a clear, open space.

The rumbling Cordelia had heard was coming from a small waterfall, pouring into a generously sized pond. Either side of the waterfall was a framing of emerald green trees, set atop a small cliff that stood at about the same height as Optimus. 

Optimus lowered her to the ground and let her out of his grasp. She picked her way across the large pebbles and sat down on a large log that rested on the edge of the vast pond. 

Optimus followed suit, sitting down next to her with one leg extended out in front of him and the other tucked up to his chest. He rested an elbow on his bent knee and grabbed a handful of pebbles in his other hand, shuffling them idly in his massive palm. 

He ground his lip plates against each other, his head dropped to his chest. 

“Spit it out big guy, what’s eatin’ ya?” 

His head snapped up at the sound of Cordelia’s voice. “Eating me? Oh…I understand. Cordelia…I have something rather difficult to tell you…and I don’t know how to say it.” 

Concerned, Cordelia heaved herself up from the log and went to rest her hand on the greave armour on Optimus’ ‘shin’. “I’m a big girl Optimus…just say it how it is.”

“My discussions with the TRF did not go…as I wanted them to. The Transformers Reaction Force want any and all Cybertronians removed from the Earth, with immediate effect. That in itself does not bother me as such…we can hide effectively from the humans’ primitive technology and maintain radio silence on the humans’ airwaves, but they made me aware of something that I am deeply concerned by.”

Cordelia said nothing but encouraged him to go on through her gaze alone.

“Eons ago, there was a legend about a power that could rival Primus’. This being was known as Unicron, or the ‘Chaos Bringer.’ Unicron was the incarnation of destruction, intent on destroying everything in his path. He is an ancient enemy, and has not been heard from for millennia, at least not in my lifetime.

“A Staff of great power was created to restore life to Cybertron, should Unicron ever succeed in his quest to destroy our home planet. TRF mentioned a Cybertronian that had fallen to Earth. Their intel suggests that he was repeating one phrase, over and over. _Seglass Ni Tonday._ In Olde Cybertronian, it means ‘protect the Staff’. 

“Of greater concern, TRF showed me evidence that Cybertron is in a selenocentric orbit around Earth’s moon.” 

He pinched the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger as his audial covers rotated first clockwise and then counter-clockwise.

“Lia, I have to…” 

She walked closer to him and motioned to him with her arms. His hand came down to scoop her carefully up off the ground, holding her tenderly against his face.

She braced herself against his nose and despite the size difference, they leaned on each other, forehead to forehead.

“Optimus…I know. I know you have to go. You can’t let Cybertron be this close and not investigate it…you **have** to go.”

“As always Lia, you never fail to surprise me with your wisdom. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for…obviously I will provide you with every protection. Hound and Crosshairs will guard you and Leo around the clock. Bumblebee is leaving to meet with Cade.”

The mention of the inventor’s name confused Cordelia. “Cade? Why Cade?” 

“It would appear that Cade has been chosen for some kind of quest, the goal of which is not yet clear.” 

“Oh…I see.” She didn’t really have the mental energy at that precise moment to start discussing Cade and his involvement in ancient Cybertronian lore. 

“Cordelia…I might not be here for the birth of the child…I can’t risk projecting my holoform to you from Cybertron. If there are enemies there, or my ‘Creators’ as Lockdown called them, I cannot risk putting you or the baby in harm’s way.” 

Cordelia took a deep breath and stood up in his palm, locking him in her green gaze. “Optimus Prime, I will eagerly await your return, and if Nova is born before you come back, I will tell her all about the Autobot leader that saved her mummy’s life.” 

Moisture collected at the corners of his azure optics. “I love you little one. More than I have ever loved anyone or anything.”

She patted him on his cheek, being as that was the only part of his body that she could easily reach. “Come on big guy, let’s get back.”

.o

An hour later, Cordelia, Leo and Optimus all stood at the rear of the small cottage. Optimus stood at his full height, both Cordelia and Leo standing before him. 

The sun was hanging low in the sky, having not quite ascended as it would do later in the afternoon. The light from it glinted opalescent on Optimus’ armour, casting a myriad of colours into Cordelia’s field of vision.

Optimus had quickly filled Leo in on what had happened during his discussions with the TRF and the reason that he had to leave the planet. 

He let air hiss from his joints, a simulation of a sigh. 

He knelt to regard the two humans on their level, resting his forearm on a bent knee. 

“Leo…during my absence, can I ask you to watch over Cordelia? Hound and Crosshairs will be here to protect you against any Decepticon or human threats…but can you – “

Leo held a hand up, stopping Optimus mid-sentence. “Optimus, you and I may have not always seen eye to eye, but the one thing that we **do** have in common is our love for Lia. She means more to me than anyone on this entire planet, and I would do absolutely anything for her. You don’t need to worry about her emotional or physical welfare whilst you are gone.” 

Optimus smiled at Leo and extended a finger towards him. “Until we meet again my friend.” Leo shook Optimus’ proffered finger and stepped back, giving Optimus and Cordelia some privacy to say their own goodbyes.

Cordelia was enveloped in the safety of both of Optimus’ mammoth hands. He lifted her slowly and held her against his chest. His Spark hummed low in its casing, mirroring the emotion that she was trying to hold in. 

He raised her further so that she was level with his face and she braced herself against his nose, spreading her arms as far as she could across his faceplates. 

His fingers curled around her, stroking across her back and shoulders.

“I will return Lia, I promise you.”

She sighed before answering. “Optimus, all I want is for you to do what you need to do and then come back to me. Whether that takes ten days or ten years…I just want you back with me safe and in one piece.” 

He dipped his head and planted a gentle kiss on her bump, stroking it gently with his thumb. “Cordelia…I **need** to know that you’ll be okay when I’m gone.”

She placed both hands on his face and looked him directly in the optics. “I will be fine. I will have Leo, Hound and Crosshairs. I have plenty to keep me occupied. Please don’t worry about me anymore than you need to big guy. What **I** need is for you to be firing on all cylinders. Don’t be worrying about me when you need to be thinking about whatever is waiting for you on Cybertron.”

She doubted the sincerity of her own words as she spoke and hoped that her voice didn’t betray her emotions, which were balancing on a knife-edge, ready to plummet into the abyss at a moment’s notice.

He smiled ruefully at her and brushed his lip plates along her hair line. “Stay safe, my little one.” He lowered her back towards the ground and let her slip carefully out of his hands, one fingertip lingering on her freckled cheek.

Eternity hung in the air between them for a milli-second before he straightened into a standing position, his joints and hydraulics hissing smoothly as he did so.

Leo wrapped a comforting arm around Cordelia’s shoulders as the armour on Optimus’ calves shifted to reveal his rockets. 

There was a low hum as they charged up to full velocity. He knelt as if he was going to squat on his haunches but didn’t fully lower himself to the ground.

He braced his weight on a closed fist, casting one final glance down to Cordelia before he launched himself into the air. 

The noise was thunderous as his rockets charged to full power, lifting Optimus effortlessly from the ground. 

Her auburn hair was blown out of its bun and it whipped about her face, a torrent of red streaks. She shielded her face from the brush and debris that Optimus’ take-off caused, hanging onto Leo all the more tighter to try and anchor herself to that one spot. 

Her eyes followed Optimus’ assent as he gathered enough speed and velocity to make it through the atmosphere. He circled a few times before sending one last final jolt of power to the rockets in his legs, which propelled him forward so fast that Cordelia found it difficult to keep tracking him with her gaze alone.

She turned her body to watch his passage, looking as he steadily shrunk until he was no longer visible. The morning sunlight made it difficult to see when he entered the atmosphere, but she smiled up at the blue sky all the same.

Leo tightened his grip around her shoulders for a fraction of a second before he pulled back. 

“You okay Lia?” 

She nodded and rubbed her eyes, getting rid of the little bit of moisture that had appeared there. “Yeah, he’s got to go where he’s needed. I’m not the only one that needs him, and with him being a Prime, he’s needed in a lot of places by a lot of people.”

Leo smiled and touched her face gently. “I am so, _so_ proud of the woman you have become Lia. I forget that you are wise beyond your years. You do know…I’m always here for you Lia, whatever you need.” 

She smiled at him and pushed herself up onto her tiptoes to give him a little peck on his cheek. It was a little prickly from the stubble that had formed there, giving her lips a tingling sensation.

“You need a shave, you’ve gone all prickly again.”

He laughed and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Come on then, let’s get going on with the day.”

.o

Life attained a new normal pretty quickly after Optimus’ departure. Hound and Crosshairs worked out a patrol rota between them and took turns patrolling the roads and lands within a ten-mile radius of the cottage. 

By the first week of April, Cordelia’s bump was so big she swore it needed its own axis. Even the most minor of tasks left her breathless and sweaty nowadays, longing for the luxury of her smaller waistline. 

She could no longer see her feet and this made doing everyday tasks like housework and gardening more difficult than they needed to be. 

Those first few days of April were filled with the warm kind of sunshine that only happens in springtime.

It was on one such morning that Cordelia’s phone rang, piercing the silence with Chicago’s _If You Leave Me Now._

She didn’t recognise the number on the caller display but answered it all the same. She didn’t need to worry about the person on the other end being able to trace her phone’s signal as Hound had programmed it so that it was undetectable on any radio wavelength.

“Hello?” For a second there was nothing on the other end of the line, and then a rustling sound, as if someone had dropped the phone and was picking it up in a hurry.

“Hey, Lia? Is that you?”

“Cade? Cade Yeager?”

“Sure is kid, how many other ‘Cade Yeagers’ do you know?”

She smiled at his as his familiar tone poured through the earpiece. She tucked the phone between her shoulder and chin as she freed her hands to hang out the last of the washing – a pesky fitted sheet that would end up scrunched up no matter what way she hung it on the line.

“True, true. So, how have you been doing Cade? Is Bee with you?”

“Yeah, he is. We’ve just had contact with the TRF and an unknown Transformer. Dude looked like a medieval knight! I’m just loadin’ up Lady now.” As if to illustrate this, Cordelia heard a lot of loud banging and clunking in the background that sounded like heavy objects being thrown into the flatbed of a truck. 

Cordelia raised a brow. “Who is Lady when she’s at home?”

Cade’s husky chuckle curled itself around her eardrum. “She’s my rig. I know, I know, her name is unoriginal as hell, but I kinda like it. She runs good and she gets me from A to B.” 

“Tell me about this unknown Transformer.” 

“Yeah, that’s kinda what I was callin’ for. I know the Chief has gone on his erh…expedition, but I was wondering if you could help me out with something.” 

This piqued Cordelia’s interest. “Oh? I’ll try, but I don’t know if I’ll be of much help to you.” 

“I got a hit on a Transformer that crash landed in Chicago, the amount of Cybertronian life signals there must have pulled his transport to land there. Anyway, when I was tryna patch him up, he gave me like this talisman thing. It was ‘bout the size of the palm of my hand and was a flat disc shape. I couldn’t understand much of what this dude was tryin’ to tell me, but I caught something that sounded like – God, this is gonna sound so weird, but it sounded like he was saying ‘Seeglass no tinday’ or something like that. Anyway, the poor dude went offline after he got shot by the TRF.” 

“Seglass ni Tonday?” Cordelia’s voice came out a bit sharper than she had intended it to, but Cade’s response was too important for her to really worry about it.

“Yeah, that was it. Do you know what it means?”

“Optimus mentioned something about a Staff of power a few weeks ago before he left…in Old Cybertronian, it means ‘protect the staff.’”

“Hmm, weird. He looked super old as well, more like a knight than the bots I’ve seen so far. He was – oh shit! I gotta go Lia, look after yourself.”

The line clicked off abruptly and Cordelia took the phone away from her ear, staring at it blankly. 

A tight ball of worry that was as heavy as one soul’s regret settled itself in the pit of her stomach. 

She made her way up the garden path and back into the cottage through the back door. On the kitchen table sat her laptop, still open from when she had ordered more maternity clothes earlier. 

She tucked herself into one of the chairs and pulled herself as close to the table as she could, her progress halted by her cumbersome bump. 

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a few seconds whilst she decided on her search term. She tapped twice on the touchpad, selecting the ‘Google Chrome’ icon from her desktop. 

While the screen spluttered to life, she absent-mindedly checked her phone for the time, even though it was displayed on the laptop screen right in front of her. 

The phone declared that it was 10:47; little white figures over the top of a picture of her and Optimus. They were both pulling silly faces at the camera; Optimus with crossed optics and waggling his fingers on top of his head whilst Cordelia, sitting on Optimus’ shoulder, flipped her hair and gave herself bucked teeth. She had managed to accomplish the impressive angle with the help of a selfie stick. 

She smiled at the memory and turned her attention back to the laptop screen. Google’s homepage greeted her, the icon flashing innocently in the search box. 

She typed _legends of knights_ into the search bar and groaned when the search found over 55 million matching results. 

Erasing the search term and racking her brain for a new one, Cordelia punched _articles about knight legends_ into the search engine. She knew that it was a long stretch searching for anything related to Cybertron online, but she figured she had nothing to lose. 

There were still over 13 million results, but Cordelia decided to persevere and began to scroll through the endless lines of text.

On the sixth page, an image caught her eye. She right clicked it and opened it in a new tab. 

The image depicted a rocky beach, with a cloaked figure stood in the centre of the scene. The figure had long grey hair reaching down their back and in their right hand, they clasped a _wooden staff._ In the background was an enormous, three-headed dragon perched in the storming grey ocean. This in itself was not what had caught Cordelia’s attention. From what Cordelia could see, the dragon looked to be made of _metal._

She sucked in a nervous breath. Nova squirmed inside her, startled by the sudden movement of her mother’s diaphragm. 

Cordelia reached down and cradled her bump tenderly. “Sorry kiddo,” she whispered, watching as her top was pushed with the movement of one of Nova’s limbs. 

She clicked on the image to arrive at a sleek black and white website. 

The header stated, ‘Debunking medieval myths since 1985’.

On the left-hand side there was a headshot image of a pretty young woman on a white background with wavy chocolate brown hair. It fell to her shoulders in soft waves, accentuating her peachy-cream skin tone. High cheekbones complimented deep set, pale blue eyes. Her face was slim and oval shaped. 

She smiled at the camera confidently, her arms crossed and her body turned at a slight angle. 

To the right of her image was an article titled ‘Chivalry: The Inevitable Death of the Great British Falsehood.’

Cordelia clicked and began to read.

_We’ve all heard of him, the magnificent King Arthur. The famed knight of the round table. The guy that everybody wants to be friends with. The one that every lady (and some men too!) want to bone._

_Well folks, I’m here to pop that shiny fairy-tale bubble._

_Gone are the days of chivalry, of chaperoned dates and afternoon teas. We live in an age of ‘Netflix and chill’, where Tinder dates with six different people a week are a thing of normality._

_Chivalry died with the knights of the round table. No more fighting for my ‘fair lady’, no more wearing of lady’s favours in noble jousting tournaments._

_Let’s begin by dissecting the word ‘chivalry’._

_According to the Oxford dictionary, the word ‘chivalry’ is defined as follows:_

_‘Polite and kind behaviour that shows a sense of honour, particularly by men towards women.’_

_I think we can all agree that **that** particular definition is for the most part, inaccurate. The majority of today’s males in our society are more concerned with who has the toughest abs or getting their ‘leg over’, so to speak. _

_There is however, one more definition, which I believe paints a more accurate image._

_‘(in the Middle Ages) the religious and moral system of behaviour that the perfect knight was expected to follow.’_

_There are two key words here; moral and perfect. Ladies, how many gents do you know who are perfect **and** moral? I’ll wait. _

_That’s what I thought._

_Now it’s all about having a cheeky Nando’s before going back to the flat for a ‘sesh.’_

_I fail to understand why Britain has this reputation as being a hoity-toity country where everyone has impeccable manners and mind their p’s and q’s. My students tell me they’re lucky if a lad remembers to bring a condom on the date._

_No ladies, chivalry was always going to die out with Romeo and Juliet, Bonnie and Clyde._

_While things like ‘man-buns’ and Tinder dates exist, chivalry will die a slow and painful death._

_I’m sorry ladies, chivalry was and always will be the greatest British falsehood that has ever been._

The end of the article stated that it had been written by one Viviane Wembley. 

Cordelia cast her eyes over the woman again, chewing her lip thoughtfully. 

A quick Google search revealed Wembley’s work address and a string of impressive qualifications after her name. 

It took a moment of hesitation before Cordelia booked overnight accommodation in London and went upstairs to go and pack a small bag.

Viviane Wembley knew something more than she was letting on, and Cordelia was going to find out exactly what it was. 


	6. Chapter Six

“Aww Red, I dunno about this now. This is making my gears twitchy.” Crosshairs’ voice came through the speakers, the little light on the dashboard flashing with each word. His steering wheel moved of its own accord as he navigated the motorway that would take them into Oxford. 

“The boss is gonna kill me when he finds out you’re gone from the cottage.” 

Cordelia thought back to the early hours of that morning when she had very awkwardly climbed out of the cottage’s upstairs window and into Crosshairs’ waiting arms. 

Getting into the green Chevrolet Corvette Stingray had proved exceedingly difficult when lumbered with a seven-and-a-half-month baby bump. She adjusted herself in the passenger seat and uncrossed her legs. 

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I just had to do this Crosshairs. I can’t explain it, it’s just this feeling in my gut that I **need** to go and meet this woman and ask her what she knows.” 

“What if she knows nuthin’? She’s probably just another idiot ‘uman who thought it would be good to ‘ave ‘er say about us.” 

Cordelia noticed the seat heat up by a fraction of a degree. She gave it an affectionate pat. 

“The article didn’t even _mention_ any Cybertronians at all. She was just going on about the noble death of chivalry in the twenty-first century. But it’s the picture that got me in! Why was the painting with a metal dragon attached to that article?”

“Ahh I dunno. Ratchet would have known. Bastards that killed him. Sure, Lockdown pulled the trigger but they put the gun in his hand. Corrupt wankers, the lotta them!” The car sped up for a heartbeat before going back down to a steady seventy miles per hour. 

“The way I see it, is we have nothing to lose. If we find this Viviane woman and she knows nothing about you guys or ancient Cybertronian knights…then we’ll apologise for bothering her and be on our way.” 

“You’re just gonna waddle right up to her and ask if she knows anything about an ancient Cybertronian legend? Yeah, good luck with that one Red.” 

“Don’t be such a defeatist Crosshairs. Where’s that fighting spirit of yours?” 

The Corvette was silent for a moment as the sun began its ascent into the sky, christening the sky in pastel colours of blue-purple. 

“I dunno how you talked me into this. Optimus is gonna do more than peel my paint when he finds out that I took you from the safety of the cottage. You haven’t got long before that mini-human inside you decides to introduce herself to the world either!” 

Cordelia moved her hands to cradle her bump. Although in the last four weeks it had exploded in size, she was still carrying relatively small, considering that she was almost eight months into her pregnancy. 

Pain in the small of her back was a daily occurrence and Nova’s ever-increasing movements caused her ribs to ache, like a permanent indigestion pain. 

“I still have one month to go. You need to stop worrying, we’ll be back to the cottage before Optimus even knows we’ve been gone. You haven’t been in contact with him, have you?”

“Course I haven’t, he can’t risk our signals being intercepted by Decepticons or the TRF.” 

“There we are then. He won’t know that we’ve been away. So just relax. How long have we got to go?”

“I tell you who ain’t gonna be happy Red. Leo is gonna punch the roof when he figures out you’ve gone.” 

Cordelia winced internally at the mention of Leo’s name. She’d left a letter on the kitchen table, apologising profusely, and assuring him of her (eventual) safe return. 

“He’ll be fine…and it’s ‘hit the roof’, by the way.” 

“Hmph. We’ve got about an hour to go if the traffic stays clear.” 

“Okay. I’m gonna get a bit of sleep.” 

“Alright Red. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

She shuffled further down into the seat, turning slightly so that she could lean her head on the door. Within minutes, the quiet purr of Crosshairs’ engine had lulled her into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

.o

Cordelia woke to someone gently shaking her awake by the shoulder. She tried to swallow past the furry taste sitting on her tongue, but it was as if her throat had forgotten the reflex. A bottle of Evian spring water was thrust into her lap. 

“Here. Have a drink before we go in.” 

Cordelia nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of a man in his early forties sitting in the driver’s seat. 

He had cropped brown hair and brown eyes so dark they were almost black. Stubble accentuated his round face that was framed by two small ears that sat close to the sides of his head. 

He wore a navy shirt coupled with a sleek waistcoat that looked to be leather on the back and satin on the front. Skinny jeans were paired with chic black leather shoes. 

He was chewing on what looked like a toothpick.

“Jeez! Is that you Crosshairs?” Cordelia clutched at her chest as her heartbeat came down to a healthier rhythm. Nova squirmed in protest at the sudden noise and movement.

“Cassius.” 

“Huh?”

“Cassius. In front of other humans, call me Cassius.” 

“Oh, right. Okay.” Cordelia rubbed the sleep from her eyes and took a deep swig from the water bottle. The fresh liquid washed the last dregs of tiredness from her and helped to bring her to full alertness. 

She pushed herself up in the seat and looked out of the window to take in their surroundings. 

A huge gothic, grey stone building loomed over them. Gulls were perched on its rooftop, waiting for the next unsuspecting tourist to wander across their line of sight with an unprotected meal.

Behind the building was a vast amount of green space. Cordelia could see multitudinous picnic benches, a pond and a children’s play area. A small flock of ducks waddled from a small cluster of trees over to the pond, waggling their tail feathers as they got into the water. 

Next to the wrought iron railings was a black Citroen DS. In front of that were several bikes that had been toppled like dominos. 

Crosshairs got out of the car and Cordelia followed suit.

He whistled appreciatively, going over to the car to have a closer look. “Ooh, I would.”

“Bloody hell, come on!” Cordelia grabbed Crosshairs by the hand and hauled him into the building. 

The view inside took Cordelia’s breath away.

The ceiling arched upwards into many lines and striations. It was reminiscent of a gothic cathedral and Cordelia couldn’t get over how detailed the exquisite architecture was. 

_I’m standing in a building that is hundreds of years old…before they had drills and power lifts…they would have chiselled away at that for years…amazing._

She shook herself out of her reverie and turned her attention to Crosshairs. 

He was examining a scale model of the _Santa Maria._

He barely stifled a snort. “This geezer went over the Atlantic in this? A bunch of wooden sticks glued together?! Hah!”

Two elderly tourists turned around and fixed Crosshairs with a look so icy it would have made the Arctic Circle look like a summer destination. 

He slunk behind Cordelia like a dog who had been caught doing something naughty. 

“Shh,” she chastised quietly. “You can’t go around shouting in a museum Cassius, people come here to –” Cordelia was interrupted by a sudden flurry of activity.

A group of about ten people ambled into the room, led by a tall, slim woman dressed in a crisp white shirt and a smart pencil skirt.

Her dark brown hair was piled high into a ballerina bun on the top of her head and her striking blue eyes were framed by dark glasses. 

Cordelia’s breath hitched. She pulled on Crosshairs’ sleeve.

“It’s her!” He did not answer but placed his hand gently on the small of her back and guided her closer to Viviane Wembley, all the while maintaining the image of an innocent tourist perusing the contents of the museum.

“484 BC. A desperate last stand between civilisation and barbarism. Two worlds colliding; only one survives.” Viviane stood in front of a landscape painting that depicted a fearsome battle between medieval knights and what looked like to be a group of huge Saxon warriors. 

She addressed a large group of students, all of whom were eagerly clutching clipboards and looked to be hanging off her every word.

“Lancelot. Percival. King Arthur. Honourable men. Brave, muscly men. Sweat glistening off their bodies. A few brave men willing to sacrifice all for victory. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s horseshit.” 

The students she was addressing all chuckled politely, though the looks on their faces betrayed their lack of understanding. 

“Arthur. A likely composite of a Roman general and a Celtic king. The dragon-“ here she motioned to the three-headed metallic beast in another painting. “Nothing more than a medieval catapult. And then we have Merlin. Our Kingmaker.” 

She pointed out the cloaked figure who clutched the staff tightly in a gnarled, bony hand. 

“He probably never existed. The question we need to ask ourselves is ‘why?’ Why do we tell ourselves these stories? Other than the fact that dragons are wicked.

“It’s because we want to _believe._ We want to be able to believe that we can be heroes in our own lives. When all seems lost, a few brave souls, us, can save everything we’ve ever known. Now, I want you to go around the paintings and choose one thing about it that you like. What is it about it that draws you in? What does it make you feel? I want you to tell me why the use of symbolism in historic art portrayal is so important. Off you go!” 

She sat down on one of the backless wooden benches and took a sip from her coffee. 

Cordelia took a deep breath, feeling suddenly self-conscious of her large bump. She pulled her denim jacket over her bump, covering her scoop-neck black and white polka dot maternity dress. Her Doc Marten boots suddenly felt out of place in the museum where everybody was wearing Brogues and smart heels. 

Crosshairs gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “Go on Red. I’m right behind ya.” 

Cordelia swallowed her fear down into the pit of her stomach and walked forward with what she hoped was purpose. 

“Hi!” She said, extending her hand towards Viviane.

“Hello?” Viviane said, taking Cordelia’s hand in her own French manicured one. “Can I help you?” 

Cordelia stuttered a little. “Umm, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing the end of your lecture. Do you have time for a quick chat about…medieval legends?” 

Viviane stared at her blankly for a few seconds, confusion present on her attractive face. 

“Oh God sorry, my name is Cordelia. Cordelia Prime.” 

Viviane recovered. “Pleased to meet you Cordelia. I’m Viviane Wembley. And who do we have here?” She motioned to Crosshairs who had a gormless expression on his face.

“Erh this is Cassius. Cassius Aldridge. He’s my uncle.” 

“Nice to meet you both. Let me just get rid of this lot and I’ll be with you.” 

Viviane walked over to her group and dismissed them. Crosshairs approached Cordelia and leaned one arm on her shoulder jovially. He stood at 5’11” and although he was nowhere near Optimus’ height in his holoform, he was still significantly taller than Cordelia. 

“Uncle Cassius eh? What’s an uncle?” 

“I’ll tell you later, look, here she comes.”

Viviane came over to them, smiling. “Would you like to come up to my office? I have a coffee machine that makes much nicer coffee than the shit they serve in the cafeteria.” 

Cordelia nodded and made to follow Viviane. 

She took them through a maze of wooden panelled corridors, furnished with dated portraits of men in white wigs and white-faced women with dresses that had voluminous skirts. 

Students wondered the corridors clutching files and books, hurrying to their next lecture or trailing behind friends.

The old parquet flooring clacked noisily underneath Viviane’s Christian Louboutin heels as she led Cordelia and Crosshairs deeper within the bowels of the university. 

Finally she stopped at a massive oak door, which bore her name and the many letters after it. She inserted a key into the lock and twisted the handle open with a flourish of her wrist and then stood to the side. 

“Please, go inside and make yourselves comfortable.” 

Cordelia made her way into the ornate office. A huge writing desk sat in the centre, holding a pure white orchid, an expensive looking desktop computer and an antique typewriter. Pictures of Viviane at her graduation ceremony adorned the walls amid images of her family and friends.

Opposite the desk were two plush leather armchairs. Cordelia sank into one whilst Crosshairs moved to occupy the other. 

Viviane shut the door behind her and moved to lean against her desk so that she was facing her two visitors. 

“So, how can I help you?”

“Medieval legends. Specifically legends about…metallic dragons.” Cordelia dropped her gaze to her feet, not wanting to see Viviane’s reaction to her request. 

There was a few seconds of silence before Crosshairs spoke up. “Hey, missy,” his tone was snooty and somewhat derisive. “The lady asked you a question, I think the normal response is to give an answer.”

Cordelia’s head snapped up at the sound of Crosshairs’ voice. She stood and placed a warning hand in his shoulder. “Easy Cassius, this will get us nowhere.” 

Viviane pushed herself off the desk and removed her glasses, coming up to Cordelia and studying her intently. 

“Wait a minute. I know you. I’ve seen you before somewhere. Did you say your name was Cordelia?”

Cordelia felt her cheeks begin to burn as the blood rushed to the surface of her alabaster skin. 

She took an involuntary step back, away from the advancing older woman. 

Her mind began to race.

How could she have been so stupid? What if Viviane Wembley was involved with the TRF and Cordelia had just walked herself and Crosshairs into a trap? 

“Easy, I don’t mean you any harm. Yes!” Viviane jumped up and down on the spot excitedly, a look of realisation on her pretty face. “I know who you are! You’re ‘Prime’s girl’! I saw you in the magazine with Optimus Prime.” 

Cordelia groaned inwardly at the mention of the nickname that the world’s media had christened her with. 

An opportune photographer had snapped a tender moment between Cordelia and Optimus immediately after the battle of Chicago. Cordelia had sprinted over to Optimus after he’d discarded the shotgun he’d used to kill Sentinel. He’d turned to see her and scooped her up and held her close to his face, nuzzling his lip-plates across her face and shoulders. She’d held herself fervently to his face, eliminating all space between them. 

The next day, the image had been plastered on the front of every major publication on the planet. 

At the mention of his leader, Crosshairs shifted his holoform from his human guise to his robotic self. 

His faceplates scrunched into a cold scowl as he put himself between Viviane and Cordelia. 

“Good. Now that’s out in the open, answer the girl’s question.” 

Viviane was visibly shaken but held her ground. “Let me guess, this is about the horns.” 

Cordelia peeked out from around the side of Crosshairs’ arm. “Horns?” 

“The horns that have suddenly appeared on various continents around the globe? The _metal_ ones?” 

Cordelia’s mind raced as she moved to sit back in the armchair, cradling her bump protectively. 

“Metal horns? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Horns have been appearing all over the world for the past few weeks, growing at rates of three metres per day. Scientists have no idea what they are, where they came from or why they are here. There’s nothing to link them to anything on the planet.”

“She ain’t bluffin’ Red, I’ve found reports of one having grown to four hundred metres and it shows no signs of slowing down. The humans are shittin’ themselves.” 

“What can you tell me about Knights of Cybertron?” 

Now it was Viviane’s turn to look confused. “Knights of Cybertron? There’s no such thing. Tales that have been spun by hopeless romantics in an attempt to humanise the aliens.” 

Cordelia rose from the chair, grabbing Crosshairs’ arm. “Thank you, Viviane. It would appear that we have had a wasted journey. I’m sorry to have wasted your time. Crosshairs?”

Crosshairs shifted back to his human holoform and held the door open for Cordelia. “Come on Red, let’s be goin’ on,” he inclined his head to Viviane. “Miss Wembley.” 

Cordelia followed Crosshairs wordlessly through the maze of scholarly corridors, not taking in anything from her surroundings. Her mind was a tornado of unanswered questions and intrusive thoughts. What if the horns were related to the Creators in some way? What if the Creators had lured Optimus from Earth on purpose to kill him? What if she never saw him again?

Crosshairs noticed her shallow breathing and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Come on Red, let’s go.” 

They were just exiting the building when an elderly man in a tweed jacket planted himself in their path. 

He wore smart chino trousers and a blue shirt couple with a waistcoat. A watch on a chain hung from the breast pocket of his waistcoat, partially covered by the blue and red silk scarf tied in a loose knot around his neck.

He rolled his walking stick easily between his palms. “Ahh, what wonderful timing. Crosshairs, Cordelia? I would very much like it if you were both to accompany me to my place of residence. We have much to discuss and I’d much rather do that over a cup of tea in my parlour than out here in the rain.” He indicated the ominous grey clouds that had suddenly appeared overhead. 

“We ain’t goin’ nowhere with you,” Crosshairs snarled, ushering Cordelia over to where they had parked earlier. 

“Oh, you are mistaken my good fellow. I mean neither of you any harm. In fact…” he lowered his sunglasses to expose brilliant blue eyes. “…I expect you want to know all about the Cybertronian Knights and the horns, hmm?” 

Cordelia stared at the man, open mouthed. Nova chose that moment to kick her forcefully in the ribs, causing her to involuntarily vocalise a small moan. 

“Cybertronian Knights?” She asked, pressing a fist to the left side of her bump to try and encourage Nova to kick somewhere less uncomfortable. “Wait, who are you?” 

The man smiled at her and extended a hand. “My name is Sir Edmund Burton, the twelfth Earl of Falgan.” He eyed Crosshairs speculatively. “I’m afraid I must insist that we hurry, we have much to discuss, and time is not on our side.” 

Cordelia looked at Burton, trying to second guess him. She sighed and made to follow him. 

“Come on Crosshairs, what have we got to lose? If it helps Optimus, then so be it.” 

Crosshairs sighed. “Fine. But at the first sign of trouble, we’re outta there.” 

.o

The journey to Falgan Castle was silent and a little tense. Cordelia sat in the driver’s seat of Crosshairs’ vehicle form, Sir Edmund Barton in the passenger seat beside her. 

Burton had supplied the coordinates of his castle to Crosshairs and he was now navigating toward the ancient building.

“By my calculations, we got about twenty minutes before we reach our final destination. You gonna be alright Red?” 

“Mmhmm,” came Cordelia’s strained reply. She’d not been to the toilet since before they’d left the cottage all those hours ago, and Nova’s weight pressing down on her bladder was beginning to make it protest, somewhat painfully. 

The rest of the journey passed mercifully quickly as they passed through the rolling green hills of the English countryside. 

As Crosshairs navigated around a tight hairpin bend, a grand stone castle came into view. 

It sat innocently like a grey pearl on a cushion of green velvet. Starlings flew in perfect synchronicity around the turrets, rising and falling like ominous rainclouds. 

The smooth surface of the road gave way to the bumpy sensation of gravel underneath Crosshairs’ tyres as he drove through the grand gate that would admit him entrance to Falgan Castle. 

The ‘drive-way’, if it could be called that, was about half a mile long and traced through the centre of a field of daffodils. 

Amongst the yellow heads of the springtime flowers, another recognisable shade of yellow caught Cordelia’s eye. 

A familiar yellow Chevrolet Camaro was parked within the castle grounds, the tinted windows throwing back a perfect reflection of the castle’s impressive courtyard. 

Edmund Burton sighed, evidently annoyed by something. “I told him not to park on the gravel, it has only just been levelled.” 

His complaint fell on deaf ears as both Cordelia and Crosshairs were too occupied with the presence of their friend to be too worried about Sir Burton’s gravel. 

Crosshairs pulled up next to Bumblebee…on the gravel. 

Burton muttered something inaudible under his breath and exited the vehicle, shielding his eyes from the bright springtime sunshine. Cordelia was about to open her door when it popped open of its own accord and she felt the seat beneath her raise ever so slightly.

“Just givin’ ya an helpin’ hand Red, on account of that human in yer belly.” 

“Aww thanks, you don’t know how much I appreciate that Crosshairs.” She pushed off on the steering wheel and heaved herself into a standing position, all too aware of the precarious strain on her over-filled bladder. 

As soon as Crosshairs’ doors had swung shut, he and Bumblebee transformed in perfect synchronisation and high-fived each other. 

Bumblebee then turned his attention to Cordelia and gathered her in his arms, nuzzling happily into her auburn hair. “There’s a little more of you than when I last saw you!” His earnest optics lowered to look at her swollen abdomen and she grinned at him, cradling her bump with one arm.

“Yup, not long to go now! She’s cooking nicely. How have you been Bee?” 

Bumblebee shrugged and wagged his ‘door-wings’ happily. “Oh, you know how it goes. Saturday I was slagging it down with Drift and then Monday I was makin’ me some scrap metal out of Decepticon punks.” 

Cordelia laughed as he set her back down on the floor and then gasped as Cade emerged from around a corner. 

He’d grown his hair out and now hung down to his chin in dark brown strands, accentuating his chiselled jaw and dark eyes. He wore a torn grey t-shirt coupled with a raggedy short-sleeved denim shirt and his signature grease-stained jeans. 

His eyes widened when he saw Cordelia and he stepped forward to take her into a one-armed bear hug. “Hey kiddo, how are ya doin’? You’re lookin’ really well.” 

“Thanks Cade! It’s great to see you and everything, but what are you doing here? I thought you were helping Cybertronian refugees in North America?” 

“So did I until about thirteen hours ago. Then this crazy, psycho, loud-mouthed, full-of-attitude leprechaun told me I had to come over the pond to keep my friends safe. Still don’t know what he needs me for, but it’s sure good to see you kiddo.”

Cordelia was about to respond when Edmund approached them with a broad smile on his wrinkled face. “Ahh, Mr Cade, what a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I trust you had a pleasant journey?” 

If the situation hadn’t had been so bizarre, Cordelia would have burst into huge amounts of laughter at the totally bemused expression on Cade’s face. 

“It’s just Cade. I dunno what you’re smokin’ in that pipe my friend, but my journey here was anything **but** pleasant. I don’t make a habit of being abducted by four-foot mental psychopaths on a daily basis, so you’ll forgive me if I’m not all that chatty at the moment.” 

Confusion made itself the dominant emotion in Cordelia’s brain. She was confounded as to who and what this ‘four-foot mental psychopath’ was and where they were at this precise moment in time. 

As if in answer to her unspoken thoughts, a metal figure emerged from behind Bumblebee’s legs. 

He was indeed, no more than four feet tall and closely resembled a decorative suit of armour that one might find in a country house or modest castle. He didn’t have an externally obvious mouth or facial plating that resembled a mouth, but his face was not devoid of interesting features. 

His optics were an almost bronze colour on the inside and framed by the ‘traditional’ azure-blue that most Autobots were blessed with. His head had a perfect dome shape to it and there was a little bulkiness to the back of it, which Cordelia assumed was the visor which would come down to cover his facial features. 

His body itself was small and compact, with a knight’s armour in place on all four of his limbs. All in all, he looked like a very smart and likeable Autobot. 

He approached Cordelia and offered her a dramatic bow before taking her hand and holding it to where his mouth would have been.

“Miss Prime, it is an honour to make your acquaintance. I am Cogman, staff member for Sir Edmund Burton, the twelfth Earl of Falgan.”

A low, throaty, rumbling sound stole Cordelia’s attention and the small gathering of humans and Autobots alike all turned their interest to the source. 

An elegant black and burnt orange Lamborghini Centenario was making its way down the long driveway, its powerful engine reverberating in Cordelia’s chest. 

Edmund Burton chuckled, seemingly to himself. “Ahh, I do so love perfect timing. What a bitchin’ car she is.” 

At his words, the Lamborghini broke apart and began to form a bipedal shape in the familiar whir of clanks and gears that Cordelia had become so accustomed to after the last decade or so. 

From its interior tumbled a woman who was dressed all in black. She had a head of dark hair but Cordelia could not make out any more of her defining features from the distance that she was stood at. 

The woman began to tumble down the hill that was adorned with hundreds of daffodils. The Transformer made to try and catch her, but she swatted him away with what looked like a wooden stick. 

The robot threw its hands up in defeat, evidently frustrated by the woman’s rejection of help. 

Cade snorted. “So, is this a kidnapping experience or her first Transformer experience?”

Burton smiled ruefully. “It’s both really. See her reflexes? She does have a rather beautiful fight or flight response. Guinevere would have been proud.” He was silent for a few seconds and then began to walk towards the castle.

“Cade, Cordelia? Come inside and join me for a nice cup of tea. We have much to discuss and extraordinarily little time to do so. Our guest will join us momentarily.”

.o

The opulent drawing room that Sir Edmund had directed them to was both grand and overwhelming in its décor. 

A chaise lounger sat in the corner, adorned with a grey velvet upholstery. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases framed the walls, crammed with what Cordelia had no doubt were rare first editions of famous books by the likes of Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking. 

Cade sat opposite Cordelia on a plush armchair, nursing a cup of tea between his weathered hands. Next to Cordelia on the grand couch sat Viviane Wembley, who had been the woman who had been brought to Falgan Castle by the unnamed Autobot, who spoke with a fantastic French accent and introduced himself as Hot Rod. 

Cordelia took a sip from her own cup of tea, grateful for the distraction of the warm liquid.

Edmund Burton reclined in an armchair, a look of total relaxation on his aged face. He clasped his hands together over a bent knee and regarded his guests.

“I believe all that remains now is to introduce Mr Cade and Miss Viviane. Mr Cade, this is Viviane Wembley, Masters in History, Doctorate in Philosophy and Doctorate of Letters, all from the university of Oxford?” 

Viviane nodded, casting an uneasy glance at Hot Rod, who was shoving as much of himself as he could through the open window. 

“Miss Viviane, this is…Cade Yeager from the state of Texas.” There was an awkward silence as everybody digested Burton’s short introduction of Cade. 

“Well great, now that that is all out of the way, do you plan on telling us why we’re all sitting here like a bunch of losers?”

Burton chuckled again and leaned forward on his knees. “Patience Mr Cade, all will be revealed in good time.” 

He settled back in his chair again, regarding them all seriously, excitement brewing somewhere behind his blue eyes.

“Now, there is no time for pleasantries or genial chit-chat. You three have been brought here for one reason, and one reason only. To save the planet from annihilation. To prevent the destruction of everything that we both know and love.

“The way forward will not be easy. But when you are armed with the knowledge I am about to give you, you will be prepared for every eventuality. Now, come with me.”

He rose from his armchair and beckoned his three guests to follow him. 

Cogman graciously helped Cordelia out of her seat and then turned to follow his master. 

Burton led them out of the drawing room and through a grand dining room, which was adorned with dozens upon dozens of oil paintings. Burton explained that the paintings were of his distant ancestors, detailing the somewhat strange and amusing ways that they had killed each other. 

They emerged into the sunshine and made their way across the grand courtyard and into a small antechamber just off the east side. 

Cogman led the way down a narrow spiral staircase, lighting a single flame at the tip of his finger in lieu of a candle.

He pushed open two enormous oak doors, revealing a huge, cavernous space behind them. Everything was gothic and dark, with a somewhat eerie aura about the place. 

In the middle of the huge room, stood an impressive round table with twelve chairs. In front of each eleven chairs laid a single sword and shield bearing a crest which featured a dragon sitting back on its haunches, a forked tongue protruding from the open mouth. 

As Cogman shut the doors behind them, the room was cast into darkness, but only momentarily. Within seconds, light flooded the whole area, birthed from candles bracketed to the wall every few metres. 

“This place was built around the original round table. The birthplace of King Arthur’s legends and reputation. This is where they sat. Twelve in all. And behind them, twelve Guardian Knights who came from Cybertron, all united with one common goal; to defend and protect.

“Twelve alien knights, who saw in Camelot what the human race could be at its finest.” Edmund Burton’s voice was husky with an unspoken raw emotion. He did not face his three guests but spoke with his back to them as if he was afraid of letting them see his face.

“Legend foretold that someday, one last knight would be chosen for an epic quest and the struggle for the world would begin. It would appear Mr Cade, that that last knight is indeed you.” 

Cade spluttered incoherently for a few seconds before Burton continued. “That little talisman upon your person is an ancient Cybertronian relic, only bestowed upon those who are worthy. Those who carry themselves with honour, dignity and fight for the freedom of oppressed peoples.”

“The knights whispered a phrase; a mantra carried through the cosmos in the blanket of time and space. _Seglass ni Tonday._ ‘With your dying breath, protect the staff.’” 

Cordelia echoed Burton’s words without realising that she had vocalised her inner monologue. He turned to look at her, a proud smile on his face.

“Ahh, Miss Cordelia, I trust Optimus Prime told you of the phrase?” 

“Yes…shortly before he left to face…whoever is out there posing this threat against the planet.” 

“The staff which is referenced in the old legends did indeed exist and was bequeathed to the wizard Merlin by one of the knights. It was fused with his DNA the moment he first touched it, so that he and his descendants could be the only ones capable of wielding its great power. When Merlin died, the staff was buried with his body and kept hidden for over a thousand years. If it ever fell into the wrong hands, it would mean the end of our world as we know it.

“The staff must now be claimed before it is too late. The battle is upon us and we must not be caught unawares.” 

Viviane held her hands up and took a few steps back from Burton. “I’m sorry, what does any of this have to do with me?”

Edmund ignored her and motioned to Cogman, who gently took one of Cordelia’s hands and one of Viviane’s. 

Cordelia initially pulled back, as did Viviane, but Cogman was surprisingly strong given his diminutive size. “Be still and calm. All will be revealed my ladies.” 

Burton continued. “Only a direct descendent of Merlin can hope to wield this instrument of raw and absolute power. And you Miss Viviane, and you Miss Cordelia, are Merlin’s last descendants on Earth and as such, you are our final hope.” 

Cordelia’s mind whirled as she reeled from this information. Nova reacted too, turning somersaults and kicking furiously. 

“Woah woah woah. Hold on a minute. I’m not related to some long dead wizard and I’m certainly not related to this woman.” She cast Viviane an awkward glance. “Sorry, I didn’t mean any offence by that.” 

Before anyone had time to respond, Cogman pressed both their hands down onto the ancient table and for an instant that felt longer than an eternity but lasted no more than a heartbeat, the swords leapt up from the table and hung suspended in mid-air before clattering back down to where they had lain, undisturbed for one thousand years. 

Cogman then slammed down a genealogy book, open at one page. 

There, nestled within the yellowed pages were two pictures. One of Viviane, and the other of Cordelia. 

Two lines rose from each picture, one to a man labelled ‘Dr Wembley’, the other to a man labelled ‘Silas Winter’. Bile rose in Cordelia’s throat at the sight of her father after so many years being free from him. 

Cordelia watched as Viviane’s finger moved to trace the one line they shared. It went upwards to a woman with shocking blue eyes and dark auburn hair. 

Cordelia recognised the picture of her mother, having seen it only one other time in her short life. 

Viviane gasped, her hand moving to cover her mouth. 

“I knew my birth mother had died…but my father never spoke of her…” 

Cordelia looked up and locked eyes with the woman stood opposite her. 

A woman who she now understood to be her half-sister.


	7. Chapter Seven

For a moment, Cordelia felt as if she had been punched in the gut. 

All the air in her lungs seemed to have vacated and she instinctively brought a hand up to cover her throat as she gulped desperately for more air. 

She didn’t hear the commotion that was currently taking place outside, or see the man enter through the heavy oak doors.

She failed to notice herself being led to one of the grand chairs and gently lowered into it. She did not feel the familiar hands on her slender shoulders or recognise the gentle blue eyes that held hers in their desperate gaze. 

“…Lia, Cordelia? Cordelia bach, if you can hear me, you need to answer me.”

A warm hand on her flushed cheek. 

The gentle voice easing her back into the here and now. 

She lifted her green eyes and met Leo’s worried gaze and clasped his free hand with both of hers. He responded by pulling her into a fierce embrace, holding her so tightly she feared that he was doing so to prevent her from falling apart. 

She concentrated on the feel of his soft curls tickling her cheek and the slight graze on her face from his unshaven stubble. She inhaled his aftershave and worked her hands into his shirt, grabbing fistfuls of the soft fabric. 

“There’s a girl. You’re okay, I’m here.” 

Cordelia raised her eyes for the first time to cast a quick look at the others. 

Cade offered her a small smile and waved at Leo. Burton observed the scene before him with what looked like a slight interest disguised as indifference, and Viviane looked just as shocked as Cordelia felt. 

She spoke, lowering herself into a chair opposite Cordelia. “You mean to tell me that we are sisters?!”

Burton nodded, as if introducing relatives to relatives they didn’t know they had was something that he did every day.

“It pained your mother to leave you both, but her ancestry meant that she could not care for you and fulfil her responsibilities within the Witwiccan Society. And then when she fell ill shortly after your birth Cordelia…she got her affairs in order and prepared for the inevitable.” 

He reached into his breast pocket and produced two envelopes, handing one to Viviane and the other to Cordelia. 

“She wrote these for you when she first discovered that she was terminal. She instructed me to give them to you when the time was right. I believe that time is now.”

Cordelia turned the envelope over in her small hands, reading her own name printed in an elegant sloping hand on the back. 

She slipped it open and began to read.

_My dearest Cordelia,_

_It pains me to write this knowing that I will never get to giggle over make-up with you or help you get ready for your first date. You’re still so tiny as I write this; so innocent and so full of wonder._

_I ache to know how you’re going to see the world through those beautiful green eyes of yours, but it isn’t to be my love._

_I don’t have long left, and I need to prepare you for what you’re surely soon to face, for if you’re reading this; the time to fight for the planet is upon us._

_First things first, don’t be too angry with Edmund over the way you found out about me and...your sister._

_I swore him to secrecy until it was absolutely necessary for you to know about each other._

_You know by now that you are one of Merlin’s last descendants on Earth (unless you or Viviane have had little ones of your own!) and thus you two are the only humans on the planet who are physically capable of wielding the Staff._

_Cordelia, the Staff is the key to everything. It is imperative that you find that Staff and secure it before the Decepticons do._

_I’ll need you to take it to the Autobots, to their leader who goes by the name of Optimus Prime. I’ve never met him in person and he probably doesn’t know that I exist, but he will be the safest person to hand the Staff over to. It is still Cybertronian technology and humans will only find a way to abuse it._

_Your clue lies on the HMS ‘Alliance’. She will take you to the location of the staff. From there, the Knights’ talisman will guide you along with whoever it has selected for this most important quest._

_Now that that is out of the way, .I want to address the elephant in the room that is your sister. Viviane is six years older than you, and to be honest Cordelia, I hadn’t planned on having any more children._

_But that does not mean that I didn’t want you._

_In fact, it is the total opposite. The very moment I found out that I was carrying you, I couldn’t wait to meet you. I’d entrusted Viviane into the care of her father and a foster mother and the only contact I had with her was through letters and photographs that were sent to me._

_The minute you were placed into my arms, I fell in love past comprehension. I knew that I would do absolutely anything for this little bundle that had somehow come from me. I would kill for you, and I would most certainly die for you ._

_You and Viviane are the greatest achievements in my short life._

_I am so sorry that I won’t be able to be there to watch you grow up and offer you the guidance that my mother offered me. You’ll be placed into the care of your father, so hopefully you can make your own little family unit together._

_I understand if you’re angry with me, but just know that I love you, now and forever._

_Your mother,_

_Guinevere._

Cordelia barely had time to digest the letter before Cogman burst out of nowhere, running through the room with his arms in the air. 

“We need to move! The TRF is here and they come with intent to kill.” 

No one needed further instruction as the room erupted to life in a flurry of rushed movements. 

Leo grabbed Cordelia by both hands and hauled her outside to where Bumblebee had transformed and was waiting, his doors already popped open. 

He bundled her hurriedly into the car and then sprinted around to the other side, throwing himself into the driver’s seat. 

The seatbelt came down over Cordelia’s body and slid home into the housing with a soft click.

“We gotta be getting’ on now,” came Bumblebee’s radio voice over the hi-fi speakers. “We’re en-route to London.” 

Cordelia patted the dashboard. “Hey Bee, long time no speak. How have you been doing?” 

“I’ve been good thanks Squirt. You’re looking good!” 

“Heh, I don’t suppose I’m doing too bad for somebody who is eight months pregnant and who has just found out that they have a long-lost half-sister.” 

“Yeah, that’s rough. I mean, I overheard what the Earl said to you in there. Still, she seems nice enough. Are you gonna get to know her?” 

Cordelia shrugged and fiddled with the hem of her polka dot dress. “I dunno. I’ve got too much going on at the minute what with the baby and now being a part of this whole ‘save the world’ thing.” 

She watched the green countryside roll past, observing the cattle and sheep all intent on the same thing; grazing on the thick green grass that grew in abundance. 

Leo sat with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on Bumblebee’s gear stick. 

Bumblebee had chosen a manual transmission when he’d selected his vehicle mode, as had most of the other Autobots. The general consensus was that it was boring to drive with an automatic transmission, preferring to keep themselves occupied by shifting gears up and down as was necessary.

Cordelia remember having one such conversation with Optimus, not long after they had returned home from Hong Kong.

.o

Optimus eased the truck into gear and pulled out of the Target car park, signalling that he was going to execute a left-hand turn. He checked that both directions were clear of traffic before pulling out of the T-junction and into the flow of traffic. 

Cordelia watched in quiet amazement as his feet manipulated the three pedals as easily as if he had been driving this way for his whole life. 

His right hand shifted the gear stick up and down the gear box, in perfect time with his left foot pressing down on the clutch pedal.

He never once failed to find the biting point, never stalling the truck or driving it with anything but perfection in every movement. 

She leaned one arm on the door, absent-mindedly fiddling with a strand of her auburn hair. 

“Why do you like to drive using your holoform _and_ the gears? Wouldn’t it just be easier for you to drive the way you normally do?” 

He looked at her through a sidewards glance of his cerulean optics, a small smile evident on his facial plating. 

“Because driving the ‘normal’ way can become rather repetitive and mundane, so I decided to change things up a bit to see how it is to drive the human way. I must confess, it must be akin to a horse pulling a carriage with their blinkers on. The whole sensation is quite unsettling to be honest.” 

“What do you mean with the blinkers comparison?”

Optimus drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought about how to answer Cordelia’s question. 

“When I drive myself using my holoform, I give myself over completely to the stimuli that are presented to me when I utilise this form. This means that I do not use my proximity sensors, my global positioning system or my tactile sensors, amongst many others. I suppose the closest comparison for you would be to drive blindfolded. To drive in this limited capacity is both unnerving and challenging within itself. If I ever feel that the holoform is no longer a viable option when I’m ‘behind the wheel’, I will revert back to ‘myself’, as it were.” 

“Heh. You never cease to amaze me Optimus Prime.” 

He reached over to her and took one of her small hands in his broad metal one, grazing his silver thumb gently over her knuckles. 

“I wonder how Earth’s governments are progressing with the disbandment of Cemetery Wind…I have not heard from them for a while.”

.o

“…heard from him for a while, have you?” 

Cordelia lifted her cheek from the cool glass of Bumblebee’s window and lifted her head to gaze at the little red light that was situated just above the LCD display for the radio. It flashed in perfect time with Bumblebee’s voice.

“Lia? Have you heard from him?”

Cordelia fought through the mental fog that had formed in her brain and tried to remember how to make her lips move. 

“Sorry Bee, what did you say? I was miles away.” 

“I asked if you’d heard from Optimus lately; I’ve not heard from him for a while now.” 

Cordelia’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the Autobot leader’s name and a hollow ache settled in the base of her throat. 

Fears had begun to creep in at the unguarded corners of her mind. 

What if Optimus never made it to his Creators? What if he was injured beyond repair, or somehow got put off his course and was lost to the hostility of space?

The thought of never setting eyes on his kind face again, or the feel of his enormous hands encasing her small body in their safety, was almost physically painful. 

Cordelia had loved Optimus like she’d never loved anyone else before and she feared that she would not know how to live without him if anything bad were to happen. 

An old, exquisite temptation, kept within the deepest recesses of her heart for the last decade, resurfaced with a monstrous intensity.

It was a physical sensation that dried her mouth, made all the baby-like hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end. Nova rolled inside her, turning somersaults and kicking furiously. 

The sound of Bumblebee’s wheels on the tarmac dulled until they were no more than background noise and her vision became as if she was ‘zooming out’ from her immediate surroundings. 

The last thing she was aware of before she succumbed to the darkness was the back of Leo’s calloused hand on her flushed cheek.

.o

Cordelia came to just as Bumblebee pulled up outside the Navy Museum. Crosshairs was parked in front, having taken Cade and Viviane. 

She reached around and rubbed a hand over the back of her neck, sore from where she had slept with her face against Bumblebee’s window. She stretched lightly and looked over at Leo. 

He smiled when their eyes met. “How are you feeling love? You had a panic attack so I gave you a diphenhydramine, just to take the edge off things.” 

“I feel better for having slept, just a bit groggy now. What’s the plan of action now?” Her voice was slightly croaky when she spoke, so she cleared her throat to try and shift some of the tiredness that seemed to have taken up residence in her larynx. 

“We are going to enter the museum and go straight to the _Alliance_ submarine. From there, I’m not too sure.” 

Bumblebee picked up where Leo finished. “Somehow, either you or Viviane must activate the submarine. It will most likely have been programmed to make the journey to wherever the Staff is. Then we will need to get it to a secure location.” 

“Okay, are you gonna stay here until it’s time, Bee?”

“Affirmative. Best not to raise suspicion until it is absolutely necessary.” 

Cordelia unfolded herself from the car and walked around to join Leo at the turnstile entrance. 

The large woman behind the Perspex screen looked thoroughly bored as she took in the appearance of two more patrons of the museum. 

“What tickets can I get for you today, sir, madam?” She asked in a nasally, flat voice. 

She reminded Cordelia of a walrus basking on the ice in the winter sunlight. She looked about as happy as a walrus, in any case.

“Go on through you two!! They’re with me!” 

They looked around to see Edmund Burton striding towards them, seemingly having appeared from thin air. 

The woman rolled her eyes and pressed the button that would allow the turnstile to move and grant them access to the museum.

Leo grabbed Cordelia by the hand and pulled her through the maze of old war ships and submarines, causing her to have to break into a slow jog in order to keep up with his long stride. 

“Easy, woah! I’m not as…fit as I was before.” She panted the words, pressing a fist to what she wasn’t sure was a stitch or a particularly painful place which Nova had kicked. 

“Sorry bach, I think it’s just around this corner.” No sooner had he uttered the words, the HMS _Alliance_ appeared before their eyes. 

They ascended the metal stairs among the throng of tourists who were armed with audio guides and selfie sticks. 

Burton followed closely behind them, accompanied by Cade and Viviane. 

“Come on, off the sub now! Move your fat arses and squish out of this place! Vacate the submarine NOW!” His voice echoed around the confined space, made to sound tinny by the limited acoustics. 

The people on the submarine muttered amongst themselves and started to shuffle towards the exit, albeit unwillingly. 

When the submarine was completely empty of tourists, Burton gave a satisfied sigh.

“Ahh, the greatest mission of them all. A mission in deep, unexplored waters to find a legendary relic belonging to an alien race. A mission that will help to turn the tide of human history…one that I have waited my whole life for. Now alas, I can no longer join you.”

Cogman stepped forward and protested at his master’s proclamation. “But my Lord, you have been waiting for this moment for seventy-one years!”

“I know Cogman, but at the end of the day, I am not knighthood material am I? I am a foolish old man who has been chasing dreams. You have your mission and I have mine.”

This time, it was Cade who spoke up in protest. 

“No way! You are not leaving us in this tin can with that four-foot mental psychopath.” 

Edmund smiled sadly. “Mr Cade, everything we do in life leads to one, pivotal moment. For you, that moment is right now. Everything that you have gone through in your life, your financial difficulties, the loss of your wife, the separation from your daughter; they have all led you to be here on this day with these people. Simply put, it has been a journey to this very moment. 

“And you, Miss Cordelia. Every decision you have made in your short life has also led you to this very moment. The appalling abuse you experienced at the hands of your father, the loss of your first child, your choice to flee from Leo that afternoon at the police station. The choice that literally put you in the hands of Optimus Prime…for you too, it has all been but a journey to this very moment.”

Burton took Cordelia’s hands in his own, the young hands of the future nestled in the wise hands of the past. 

“And now it is time for me to bid you all farewell. Cordelia, Viviane; your mother left the _Alliance_ to you and to you alone. She will guide you to the Staff. Good luck my friends!” 

He exited the submarine and stood on the edge near where to the submarine was moored, waving at them with his walking stick. 

There was a light thud and small vibration through the frame of the vessel as Bumblebee jumped aboard towards the rear. 

Cordelia and Viviane sat down in front of the submarine’s controls in perfect synchronisation, driven by some unexplainable instinct to touch the old navigation tools.

The very second that their palms touched the controls, an electric surge of energy passed over the gears and various knobs, shifting them into motion after decades of inactivity. 

All four of the _Alliance’s_ passengers were jolted as the sizeable ship literally jumped free of its moorings. 

Cordelia hung onto Leo for balance as the submarine half rolled itself in order to get into the water. She wondered somewhere in the back of her preoccupied mind if this was what it was like for Nova when she herself tossed and turned in the middle of the night when she was trying to get comfortable. 

A strange vestibular sensation made itself known in Cordelia’s chest and bizarrely, her ears. 

Through the tiny circular windows she could see the aquamarine blue of the water as the submarine slowly submerged itself inch by inch into the Thames river. 

Cogman was rushing about the area, turning and twisting various knobs and switches, muttering unintelligibly to himself. 

“Dude, what are you doin’?” Cade asked the tiny Cybertronian, a somewhat exasperated expression on his weathered face. 

“I am checking to ensure that the old girl is still watertight. Whilst _I_ can function perfectly well underwater, I cannot say the same for you humans. Such a restricted species.” 

Cade looked as if he was going to protest further but Cogman simply ignored him. “Miss Cordelia, Miss Viviane, if you would be so kind as to follow me.”

Leo stepped forward, placing a warning hand on Cogman’s shoulder. “Why do you need her to follow you?” 

Cogman shook Leo’s hand off easily, narrowing his blue optics at the significantly taller man. 

“I would imagine that travelling via a submarine into deep, pressurised waters would be made all the more uncomfortable by the attire that both Miss Viviane and Miss Cordelia are wearing. Not to mention the fact that Miss Cordelia is eight months pregnant and needs to be kept as comfortable as possible during this late stage.” 

Cordelia looked down self-consciously at her black and white polka dot maternity dress and her chunky Doc Marten boots. She wrapped her denim jacket a little tighter around her body, automatically trying to make herself seem smaller to try and draw the attention away from her. 

She looked at Viviane and her heart ached at the older woman’s beauty. 

Her brunette hair fell in soft waves to shoulders that were slender and framed with prominent collarbones. The black knee-length pencil dress accentuated a slim waist and pert breasts, carried on thin, graceful legs that were made to appear longer still by the black stilettos Viviane was wearing. 

Cogman gave Leo no chance to reply but began to walk towards the back of the submarine, not waiting to see whether or not Cordelia and Viviane had made to follow him. 

Cordelia cast an apologetic glance at Leo before hurrying to follow the impatient robot butler. In her haste, she failed to notice the step down onto a slightly lower level of the submarine and would have fallen if not for the helpful arms of Cade and Leo coming to her rescue. 

Leo had caught her under one arm, Cade under the other. “You okay kiddo?” Cade asked, moving his arm around to support her back, in case her balance failed her again. 

She nodded, cursing inwardly at herself as she felt the familiar flush of blood start from her neck and spread upwards into her cheeks. 

Leo let go of her but rubbed a soothing circle onto the back of her hand with his thumb. She nodded an awkward thanks to the pair of them before resuming her pursuit of Viviane and Cogman. 

Cogman held a traditional watertight door open for them. They stepped through it into a room that had clearly been the sleeping area for the submarine’s crew. About a dozen bunks were attached to both sides of the walls, suspended by thin chains. On one of the bunks was a hessian sack.

“In that bag you will find more appropriate attire for our upcoming journey.” He said no more but shut the door behind him, leaving Viviane and Cordelia in an awkward silence. 

“Cordelia…about earlier…” Cordelia held up a hand at Viviane. 

“Viviane…if you’re going to apologise for earlier…please don’t. It’s okay. It’s not your fault and it isn’t my fault, so let’s just leave it at that?” 

Viviane smiled, though it looked to be somewhat forced. 

Cordelia appraised Viviane subtly, trying to see aspects of herself within the older woman. 

She could see herself in the soft waves of Viviane’s dark hair and a hint of her facial structure in the woman’s high cheekbones. Maybe there was a hint of her in the way Viviane canted her head to the side when she appeared to be concentrating?

Cordelia looked away, not wanting to see similarities where there were none. She knew herself too well to know that if she wanted to see something badly enough, she would trick herself that that thing, whatever it was, existed in the world in some capacity. 

She’d been granted an unexpected link to her mother, who had been absent from her life for as long as she could remember.

Growing up, Cordelia had always been jealous of the little girls who had mothers to play with them in the park, or to ask for advice on what eyeshadow would look good with a new blouse. 

She shrugged at herself, chastising herself inwardly. Worrying about her absentee mother would change nothing now, especially that she now knew beyond a doubt that her mother was dead and had been for some time. 

She moved to pick up the hessian sack and turned it upside down to empty it of its contents. 

Two pairs of khaki green cargo trousers fell out, along with two three-quarter length white thermal t-shirts. Under the bed sat two pairs of Caterpillar boots, both a UK size five. 

“Reckon they knew we were coming?” Viviane muttered, grabbing the smaller of the items of apparel that lay sprawled out on the small bunk.

Cordelia took the remaining items and looked around for somewhere to change. Viviane had already removed her shoes and was trying to reach around to undo the zip at the back of her dress. It was a battle that she was losing. 

“Hey, do you mind giving me a hand with this zip?” 

“Sure!” Cordelia abandoned her own clothes and walked the two steps that it would take to get to Viviane. She took the tiny garment zip between a thumb and finger and pulled it down Viviane’s back, revealing the back strap of a black bra. 

She stepped back quickly, lowering her gaze to the submarine floor. 

“Aww thanks, I honestly don’t know why I wear those bloody things, I can never do the zip up or undo it on my own.” 

Cordelia stifled a giggle. “How did you do it up in the first place?” She lifted her gaze to meet Viviane’s. 

“Ahh, I have a special technique that my grandmother let me in on. You get an old wire coat hanger, the thinner the better, and then you thread the zip through and pull on the hanger. Voila! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to pack my coat hanger before Hot Rod abducted me.”

She shrugged out of her dress and threw it onto the bunk. 

Cordelia saw that she had on a black lace bralette accompanied by a matching pair of knickers. She lowered her gaze again, embarrassed. 

“Hey, we’re girls together, there’s nothing to be shy about.” 

Cordelia didn’t respond but offered Viviane a small smile, shrugging off her own chunky Doc Marten boots. 

“They’re gorgeous,” Viviane said, nodding towards the boots that Cordelia had just shoved under the bunk. “I love DM’s, I just hate the fact that they take so long to break in.” 

Viviane finished pulling on the cargo trousers and began to lace up the tan-coloured Caterpillar boots. 

“Would you like me to go out while you get changed?” Viviane asked in a gentle voice, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. 

“Would you mind? It’s nothing against you, it’s just…” 

“Shh, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself to anyone, least of all me.” She smiled and placed a friendly hand on Cordelia’s shoulder. “I’ll be just outside if you need anything.” 

Cordelia smiled at her gratefully as she shut the door quietly behind her. 

Cordelia wasted no time in divesting herself of her polka dot dress and denim jacket, becoming momentarily distracted by the mammoth bump that was her abdomen.

A delicate spiderweb formation of dark purple stretchmarks started at her naval and journeyed downwards. When she ran her fingers over them, she could feel the slight indentations that they made in her pale skin. She vainly hoped that once she had given birth, the stretchmarks would disappear as gradually as they had appeared. She wasn’t athlete standard fit by any means, but she did enjoy a fairly active lifestyle and was confident that she’d gain her pre-pregnancy figure back in a reasonable amount of time after giving birth. 

She pulled on the white t-shirt first, pulling the sleeves down to cover her elbows, suddenly self-conscious of the thin scars that marred both her forearms. She was pleased to discover that the top covered her bump and did not rise up when she moved about. 

Next, she pulled on the cargo trousers, making sure to pull the drawstrings to their loosest point to accommodate her enormous bump. Nova wriggled and Cordelia watched in quiet amazement as two small lumps appeared in her skin from what she assumed were a foot and fist as Nova stretched. 

She slipped her feet into the Caterpillar boots and bent down to tie the laces…only to find that she could not. 

“Viviane?” She called shyly, retying her auburn hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

“Hmm?” Viviane’s answering question came as she stepped back through the watertight door. 

“I’m so sorry to have to ask you, but would you mind helping me do up my shoelaces? I can’t reach.” She indicated her bump and Viviane nodded in taciturn understanding. 

“Of course! No problem at all.” She dropped to her knees and took Cordelia’s right foot first, her hands working quickly to tie the laces in a double knot. She turned her attention to the other foot and did the same. 

She held a hand out to Cordelia and helped her up off the bunk, before turning and going back through the open door. 

They made their way through the tubular vessel and back to the main area, where they found Cade and Leo looking at each other with identical expressions on their shocked faces, each of their mouths open in a small ‘o’ shape. 

“What did we miss?” Cordelia asked, taking a place up next to Leo. 

“That insane ninja butler just shot himself out like a torpedo!” 

“What?” Viviane’s voice was full of incredulity, mirrored by the bemused expression on her face. 

Leo nodded in support of Cade’s statement. “It’s true, he just said he’d be back later and… _roedd wedi mynd._ ”

Cade turned to look at Leo with an expression on his face that Cordelia found extremely hard not to laugh at. “Dude, what did you just say?”

“Ah, I am sorry about that. It was Welsh, and I said, ‘he was gone.’ I have a habit of slipping back into Welsh when I am shocked…or drunk.” He grinned wryly. “Welsh is my first language, and not one that is easy to forget.” 

“Or speak by the sound of it! It sounded like the verbal equivalent of someone sitting on their keyboard.” 

The two men grinned at each other and Cade walked away a little to talk quietly to Viviane. 

Leo approached Cordelia, noticing her arms wrapped tightly around her torso. 

He shrugged out of his fleece jumper and handed it to Cordelia. “Here, put this on _bach._ ” 

She accepted it gratefully and slipped it over her head, inhaling the smell of aftershave and the scent of outdoors that always seemed to cling to Leo. 

She had to roll the sleeves up three times to leave her hands free and the jumper itself came almost to her knees. It was the first piece of clothing she’d put on in almost two months that didn’t emphasise her bump. 

Leo grinned widely at her. “Lia, if it’s even possible, that has just made you look even smaller than usual.” 

“What do you mean ‘smaller than usual’? I have a watermelon-sized human growing inside me, I’m anything but small.” 

He jokingly leaned an elbow on the top of her head, exaggerating the difference between their heights. “Nah, you’ve always been tiny for as long as I’ve known you, you little squirt.” 

“Aha, but being significantly shorter than you means it is easier for me to do this.” She elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to grunt. 

“Touché Miss Prime, touché.”

.o

A few hours went by as the submarine guided itself through the black ocean. Cordelia could see nothing through the porthole windows, only the occasional flecks of marine dust that were illuminated by the submarine’s powerful light beams.

Cogman had returned about an hour previously and the smell of something delicious was wafting down the length of the vessel. 

He called all of them a few minutes later, to a small anteroom that had been made up with a small table, tablecloth and upturned crates in place of chairs. In the centre of the table sat two modestly sized tuna on a bed of salad and lemon. 

“Bon appetit; tonight you have tuna in Tortiera sauce. Miss Cordelia, everything on the plate is safe for you to consume whilst you are with child.” 

Cade whistled, evidently impressed. “Whoa, where did all this come from?” 

“Well, the vegetables and non-perishables were on board already, but I did have to depart for a little while in order to catch the tuna. Easier said than done when I couldn’t use a projectory weapon to incapacitate them.” 

He proceeded to pull two crates out from underneath the table and signalled for Cordelia and Viviane to sit down first. 

Leo took his place next to Cordelia whilst Cade sat down next to Viviane. 

“Well Cogman, I have to say, this looks absolutely delicious.” Leo said, picking up his knife and fork, starting to cut into the tuna. 

“Well, I thought if you were going to have a final meal, I had better make it a nice one.” 

Cade had already shovelled a rather large amount of food into his mouth and Cordelia supressed a smile at the euphoric expression on Cade’s face. 

“Man! You can COOK!” 

Leo chuckled, wiping a stray piece of food from his face. “This is beautiful Cogman, but Cade, if you’re impressed by this, you need to try Optimus’ cooking. His Sunday roast dinners are just…” he kissed his fingers theatrically in a chef’s kiss. 

“Wait, the big guy cooks? How the heck does he do that? He’s a giant thirty-two-foot-tall alien robot. He can’t exactly _fit_ in a kitchen.” 

Cordelia laughed and took a swig from her glass of water. “He uses his holoform; that’s just a very, _very_ sophisticated holographic projection of himself that is human sized, although he’s still huge even when he’s using that.”

Leo turned to her, chewing thoughtfully. “How tall _is_ he in his holoform? I know he’s big, but how tall are we talking?” 

Cordelia smiled, thinking of the way that Optimus would rest his chin gently on the top of her head when they embraced. “In his holoform, he is six foot eight inches tall. In other words, he’s humungous!” 

She speared a bit of tuna on the end of her fork and coated it in a thick layer of the accompanying sauce. The flavours exploded in her mouth, all perfectly complimentary to one another. 

The fishy tang of the tuna was the perfect accompaniment to the garlicy sauce, melding flavours of savoury and slightly sour perfectly to her palette. 

Cogman made a quiet retreat and the rest of the meal was eaten in relative silence, as if the occupants at the unconventional table had started to appreciate the seriousness of what they were trying to do and why they were trying to do it. 

When the sound of cutlery scraping on plates had ended, Cade and Leo excused themselves and began to clear the plates from the table. 

Cordelia rose from the crate she was sitting on, beginning to get slightly uncomfortable after sitting for a considerable amount of time. 

She made her way towards the front of the submarine, where there was a large window that spanned from the floor to the ceiling. 

Footsteps sounded behind her and she turned around to see Viviane approaching. 

“Hey…do you mind if I join you here for a while?”

Cordelia moved aside in answer to Viviane’s question, allowing the other woman room to stand next to her by the window. 

“How are you feeling?” 

Cordelia turned to look at Viviane, trying to understand the meaning behind the question. 

“Do you mean in general, or about what we’re going to do?” 

Viviane shrugged, playing with a strand of her dark hair. “Both really. It seems a bit risky for you to be doing all this stuff when you’re so…pregnant.” She eyed Cordelia’s bump, a small smile sliding onto her elegant face.

“Well, I don’t have much choice, do I? I guess the reason Burton sent us both for the Staff is in case one of us…you know…dies or something. Believe me, after nearly eleven years of being involved in alien warfare, you learn that nothing is impossible. You know to expect the unexpected.” 

Viviane raised a well-manicured brow. “You’ve been involved with them for a decade?” 

“Give or take a few years. I was fourteen when I met Optimus and I’ll be twenty-six on my next birthday.” 

“How did you meet Optimus Prime?” Viviane asked shyly, looking at Cordelia with curious blue eyes. 

“I tried to kill myself,” Cordelia said, stunned at her own honesty with a relative stranger. “I was intending to commit suicide and I jumped off a traffic bridge. It was going over a river and I figured it would be the most effective method…anyway, it just happened to be on the night that Optimus had landed on Earth, and he was hiding under the bridge, waiting for some cops to go back to the station before he came out again.

“So I jumped…and I hit the ground a lot quicker than I thought I was going to. The first thing I was aware of was that it was the wrong sensation. There was no water, no sense of coldness or struggle to breathe…just a cool, hard surface beneath my body that seemed to move of its own accord. 

“It turned out that Optimus had caught me and I’d then lost consciousness. After that, I got all mixed up in the whole thing with Sector Seven and the whole mess in Tranquility…and somehow found the most noble and beautiful soul that it has ever been my pleasure to know in the process.” 

Viviane was silent for a few moments, absorbing everything that Cordelia had said. 

“Do you love him?” 

Cordelia sighed. She’d grown used to this question; used to the fact that everybody automatically assumed that their relationship was a romantic one and that they were a couple. 

“I do. More than I have ever loved anyone or anything. But let me make it clear that I do not love him in any way that is romantic. I never have done and I find it highly unlikely that I ever will. The only way I can explain it is that he gets me in a way that no one else ever has. He knows me better than I know myself, sometimes even what I’m going to say before I say it.

“I feel like we’re two halves of the same soul…he said as much a few years back.” 

There was a low, metallic groaning sound that reverberated through the frame of the entire submarine, very subtly vibrating everything on board. 

Through the murky water, blurry lights became visible. 

Viviane straightened, her blue-eyed gaze locked dead ahead.

“Hold those thoughts Lia, I think we’ve arrived.”


	8. Chapter Eight

In the distance, Cordelia could see an eerie blue light, the same shade as the Autobots’ optics. As they drew nearer, Cordelia began to make out a distinctive, circular shape in the murky water. 

Through the murk, Cordelia could make out a loose, cross shape within the circle. From the centre of the cross descended a long platform. Cordelia tracked it with her green eyes until the darkness of the water made it impossible to do so.

A popping sensation came over Cordelia’s ears as the submarine descended, getting ever nearer to the strange object before them. 

Leo stood at her side, a comforting hand on her shoulder. No one could seem to find the power of speech, for they were all too transfixed by the view that stood before them. 

Cade suddenly gasped and Cordelia turned to see that the little talisman that had settled itself around his wrist had now transformed into a large flat disc and was slithering up Cade’s arm, across his shoulders, down his other arm and then back again. It was as if it was alive. 

Cogman smiled knowingly. “You are the first to see this ship since the Dark Ages. Your talisman is the key to unlocking this ship.” 

The talisman on Cade’s arm began to glow a dazzling cerulean blue, causing the four human passengers within the _Alliance_ to shield their eyes from the intense brightness. 

The same blue suddenly enveloped the submarine as it was pulled forward, by some ancient, invisible force. 

In her mind’s eye, Cordelia saw twelve enormous Cybertronian Knights, who stood as sentinels behind King Arthur’s twelve knights of the round table, their swords erected in ready defence. 

Percival. Lancelot. Gawain. Tristan. Leon. Elyan. Bedivere. Palamedes. Lamorak. Kay. Gaheris. Geraint. 

Twelve men who would have given their lives for that of their king and the people they had sworn to protect. 

“ _Seglass ni Tonday._ Without sacrifice, there can be no victory.” 

Cordelia had not even realised that she had spoken until Leo took her gently by the elbows.

“Lia? Are you alright?” 

She shook her head a little, trying to fight through the fog that had suddenly engulfed her brain. 

She forced a smile onto her face, squeezing Leo’s hands with what she hoped was a close proximation of reassurance. “I’m fine. Just ignore me, a mixture of daydreaming and baby brain is never good.” 

Abruptly, there was the sensation of rising upwards, as if the submarine was ascending towards the surface. 

It seemed to be that this was exactly what was happening. 

Cogman made his way to the ladder that allowed exit from the vessel and climbed it, easily opening the watertight hatch. He popped his head out and then jumped back down the ladder, landing lightly on the ‘balls’ of his metallic feet. 

“We have arrived. It is safe to exit.” 

They made their way up the ladder and when it came to Cordelia’s turn, Cogman leaned down through the open hatch and held his hands out to her. 

“If I may, my lady?” 

Cordelia started to protest that she would be too heavy for Cogman to lift, but he merely slipped his small hands under her arms and lifted her from the ladder as easily as Optimus would have. He set her gently on her feet, keeping one hand on her elbow while she regained a steady base. 

Leo helped her down the steep stairs that had appeared on the side of the submarine and she gasped as she joined Cade and Viviane in the freezing, waist-deep water. 

Bumblebee jumped off the sub and into the water, showering the humans with ice-cold droplets. 

Prince’s _Purple Rain_ sounded through his speakers, wiggling his door-wings sheepishly.

“ _Never meant to cause you any sorrow, never meant to cause you any pain._ ”

Cordelia laughed and tied her hair into a higher bun on the top of her head, keeping it from getting wet. 

“You get away with it this time Bee!” 

He laughed his strange mechanical laugh and began to climb upwards, using metallic vines hanging from somewhere that Cordelia could not see. 

Cordelia, Cade, Viviane and Leo made their way through a thin passageway, the walls on either side stretching upwards and upwards. 

She could hear Cade and Viviane bickering quietly amongst themselves as they progressed further and further into the bowels of the great ship, passing huge statues of Cybertronian Knights, silent witnesses to their passage.

Cordelia noticed strange hieroglyphs along every surface; the floor, the walls, even the statues themselves. Cordelia was familiar with the hieroglyphs that adorned Optimus and knew that they were the ancient language of the Primes, she knew enough to know that the glyphs on this ship were not of the ancient protectors of Cybertron. 

They emerged from the narrow passageway into a huge circular space. If Cordelia had to guess, she would have said that they were in the very centre of the ship itself. 

Four giant columns rose up from the floor in a gentle arch to converge in the centre, about one hundred feet above their heads. 

In the very middle of the circular space, stood an ornate marble tomb. 

A man was sculpted into the marble, a long staff resting beneath his clasped hands. 

Cordelia felt her breath hitch involuntarily in her throat. She was standing _metres_ away from her God knows how-many-times great-grandfather. All the mystery and the heartache at being separated from Optimus had led her here, to this very moment. 

_Hah,_ she mused. _Burton was right after all. Sometimes it just comes down to one, inescapable moment._

She cast a subtle sideways glance over at Viviane, who seemed to be having a similar experience to Cordelia. She ran her lithe fingers gently over the marble’s surface, tracing the lines of her ancestry.

Cade and Leo hung back a little, perhaps opting to give the two women a moment alone with their ancient ancestor. 

Viviane started muttering to herself, reading something that had been inscribed on one side of the tomb.

Cordelia walked around to stand next to her half-sister, placing a tentative hand on Viviane’s shoulder. “What is it?” 

Viviane turned to look at her, her blue eyes full of an emotion that Cordelia could not identify. 

“There is a Latin inscription that reads, ‘no one shall have it’ when it is translated to English.” 

Cordelia’s mouth dried. “Well, it can’t mean the Staff, can it?”

Viviane had no answer for her, but turned to look at Cade with what could only be described as defeat. 

Cade walked forward, his face a picture of disbelief. “No, no. You are not gonna tell me that we’ve outrun MI6, the TRF and rode in a Transformer submarine with a crazy ninja butler to a long lost Cybertronian ship to find some ancient stick of destiny, only to get here and be told we can’t have it? No, no fuckin’ way. Leo? Give me a hand.” 

Cade rolled his sleeves up and began to push on the lid of the marble tomb. Leo approached apprehensively, but stood next to Cade and began to push. 

Cordelia watched as the two men’s faces grew steadily redder as they exerted more and more pressure in an effort to shift the weighty lid. She wondered if she ought to be concerned about the desecration of her ancestor’s final resting place, but she couldn’t quite find it within herself to verbalise the thought. 

After two minutes of relentless pushing and grunting, the lid slid out and off the main body of the tomb. It fell to the side and cracked perfectly down the vertical centre, rendering Merlin in half. 

Nestled within the tomb was an intact skeleton on a bed of velvet blankets that had discoloured over the thousands of years away from natural light. 

Clasped in the skeleton’s clawed hands was a single, thin, brown…stick. 

Cordelia scoffed. 

This couldn’t be it. She hadn’t been brought here, found out she had a half-sister and had the last letter from her mother to find that she had been bequeathed a literal _stick._

How was this supposed to help them save the planet? 

She felt anger broil deep within the pit of her stomach, rooting her to the spot. 

Cade swore. “Great, this is just fucking great. I’ve travelled halfway across the world to meet with a know-it-all professor to save the planet with a fucking _stick._ I could have just cut an oak tree down at my house! I have all the sticks you could ever fucking want!!” He kicked the tomb and walked away, both hands clasped behind his head. 

Viviane followed him, trying to console him in her gentle voice. 

Leo approached Cordelia, taking one of her hands in his. She knew that he was reading the disappointment on her face, anticipating the anger that was threatening to explode out of her. 

She concentrated on breathing it back down. Getting angry would not help the situation now. It would only complicate things and make things more difficult than they already were.

She forced a wan smile in Leo’s direction. He saw straight through it and pulled her fiercely into a tight hug. 

She buried her face against his firm chest, inhaling the aftershave and outdoor smell of him, relishing in the feeling of his arms around her. 

“I don’t understand it Leo,” she said against his chest. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to end. Why would Burton go through all that effort in sending us here, why would the talisman have directed Cade here? Why would Viviane and I have found each other if it was all just going to end like this?! Why did Optimus have to go to fuck knows where?!” 

Leo’s arms tightened around her while she cried hot, angry tears. 

She was angry at herself for crying when the whole world was at stake, when she knew that tears, angry or not, would not solve a damn thing. 

She wiped her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve and stepped back from Leo, going over to the tomb and resting her hands on the cold marble. 

Cade and Viviane were still a little way over to her left, speaking in quiet but heated tones. 

She looked down into the contents of the tomb again and marvelled at the stories that those bones would be able to tell if they could talk. 

She thought of the things that Merlin must have been witness to when he was serving in the court of the famous King Arthur.

Cordelia felt quite humbled at the fact that she was descended from a group of humans who had been involved with Cybertronians for at least the last 1,600 years. She wondered if there had ever been any like her and Optimus, and if there would be any after they had gone. 

She reached down into the tomb and wrapped her hand around the stick that lay atop Merlin’s skeleton. 

At once, an electric shock pulsed through her entire body, causing her hair to stand up on end and goosebumps to raise on her pale skin. 

The wood on the stick fell away to reveal a thick silver staff with a blue glowing tip. 

Cordelia’s blood pumped audibly in her ears as she comprehended what she held in her hand. 

It was at that point that several things happened at once.

Cade and Viviane look up in perfect synchronisation, an identical expression of shock on both of their faces. 

Leo laughed triumphantly at the appearance of the true Staff. 

A dull explosion sounded behind Cordelia as one of the ancient knights came online with a furious proclamation of “who has come for the Staff?!”

Half a dozen men dressed in black combat gear and armed with semi-automatic rifles entered the chamber.

Cordelia was shocked to see William Lennox leading the charge, his gun cocked and ready to fire.

Viviane sprinted over to Cordelia and held her hand out for the Staff. “Quickly, give it to me. It’s too risky for you to have it.” 

Wordlessly, Cordelia handed the Staff to Viviane, not taking her eyes from Lennox’s. 

She took a careful step forward, her hands coming up of their own accord. 

“Will? What are you doing here?” 

He appraised her carefully, pointing the rifle away from her but not lowering it. “I could ask you the same thing, especially given your condition,” he said somewhat defensively. 

“Wait, are you with the TRF?”

“It’s not through choice. It was either thirty years in prison for ‘treason’, because I apparently ‘consorted with the enemy’ by fighting in Chicago, or it was join these guys. It was a no brainer. I’ve got a family Lia, I had to put them first. I didn’t want it to end up this way, but it is what it is.” 

Cordelia placed a protective hand over her bump, not knowing if she was trying to reassure herself or the squirming baby residing in her womb. 

“We always have a choice, it’s what we choose to do with it that matters.” 

They were interrupted by a ferocious roar from the Knight that had come back online. It had powered up fully and was now marching towards them, intent on their destruction. 

Leo immediately took Cordelia’s hand and started to pull her away from the rampaging knight. “I promised Optimus that I’d keep you safe, come on. He won’t be happy if he gets back and you have even one hair out of place!”

She did not resist but let him guide her away from the tomb and towards the edge of the circle, back towards the way that they had come.

Lennox turned his attention away from Cordelia and focused on Viviane. He trained the rifle on her whilst Cade tried his best to draw the knight’s attention by running in between its legs and firing at it with the ‘alien’ gun that he had become so fond of during the Hong Kong battle.

Leo and Cordelia found their way barred by the remaining TRF operatives, who were all pointing their weapons at the fleeing pair. 

At once, Leo took up a defensive position in front of Cordelia, using his body to hide her from the view of the advancing soldiers. 

Fear crawled from the pit of Cordelia’s stomach and settled in the base of her throat. Leo was doing exactly what Optimus had done countless times; defending her without question in the face of a threat to her safety. 

Only Leo was made of flesh and bone. He was soft and vulnerable. He wore no protective armour or clothing and Cordelia could only imagine with horror the way that any bullets fired would rip through his human flesh, rendering him dead or at the very least, mortally wounded. 

“Stay back,” he warned, his voice low and ice cold. He stepped slowly back, his arms coming behind him to half-wrap protectively around Cordelia. 

They moved back in perfect synchronicity, keeping the distance between themselves and the TRF agents perfectly even. 

On the opposite side of the massive circle, Lennox and Viviane were locked in a tense stand-off.

For every step that Viviane took away from Lennox, he took one towards her, not letting the distance between them grow by even one foot. 

Cordelia looked on helplessly as Cade fought a losing battle against the raging Cybertronian knight, narrowly missing getting stepped on. 

Lennox raised the gun and pointed it at Viviane, his index finger hovering over the trigger.

“Drop it! Or I will!” Viviane snarled, holding the Staff over the edge of the massive platform that they were all stood on. 

“Come on Lennox! You don’t know what you’re doin’!” Cade’s voice betrayed his desperation, but his pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. Lennox did not alter the position of his gun one inch.

“GO ON! SHOOT ME!” Viviane screamed at Lennox, defiance oozing from every pore of her body. 

“All I want is that weapon!” By comparison, Lennox’s voice was shaky, lacking the conviction that was needed for what he was trying to prepare himself to do. 

“I am the only one who can wield it!” Viviane shouted, conveniently leaving Cordelia’s name out of her statement. 

Before Lennox could get a chance to respond, chaos reigned. 

Another three knights emerged from the darkness, all intent on destroying the intruders who had come to take the Staff. 

At once the TRF agents opened fire on the mammoth titans, aiming for their optics and the weaker armour that was located under the chest. 

One knight that looked older than the others collapsed easily, its red optics going dark and lifeless. 

The remaining two were not so easily dispatched. 

The TRF agents emptied round after round on the advancing Cybertronians, but the bullets raining down on them may as well have been confetti for all the harm that they were inflicting. 

Cade continued firing desperately with his alien gun and Viviane took advantage of all the anarchy to sprint over to Leo and Cordelia. 

The three of them huddled together in a tight circle, Viviane and Leo pushing Cordelia into the centre so that she was as defended as possible. 

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, came the sound of louder gunshots. They had been fired from higher up than those of the TRF agents.

Cordelia watched as one knight collapsed to the floor, clutching at his chest armour as his Spark chamber ignited from the inside out. The single remaining knight was sliced and stabbed from behind before being viciously kicked to the ground. 

Cordelia’s heart stopped for a beat and then resumed as she saw who had saved them all.

Optimus. 

As soon as she allowed her gaze to travel upwards to his face, she knew that something was drastically wrong. 

He wore a defiant, violent expression on his face. His facial plating was scrunched in a territorial scowl, his lip plates curling back in an angry grimace. He stored his sword on his back and stood over the humans, his fists clenched and his shoulders back. 

“I’ve come for that Staff.” When he spoke, his voice lacked its usual warmth and friendliness. Instead it was cold and aggressive, hostility being the only identifiable emotion. 

It was not any of these things that disturbed Cordelia most. No, what disturbed Cordelia most were Optimus’ optics themselves.

They were cold and flat, but most intriguingly, they had changed _colour._

Instead of their usual cerulean blue, they were now a deep violet colour. The lenses that made up his optics were constricted to their narrowest aperture, reminiscent of a pinprick. 

Cordelia could not place the emotions that were currently crossing his face, or the unspoken words that rolled across his optics like malevolent storm clouds. 

He crossed the circular space in three easy strides, marching forwards with purposeful aggression and determination.

He headed straight for Viviane, his gaze locked on her and her alone, as if she was the only being in the area that he had noticed. 

Cade looked up at the approaching Autobot leader, fear written all over his weathered face. “Optimus…what are you doing?” 

Optimus ignored him, simply responding “give it to me!” in a voice so cold and indifferent that it sent shivers down Cordelia’s spine. 

She noticed, for the first time as Optimus drew nearer, the red mark that adorned one side of his face.

Down the whole left side of his face, from his helm down to his chin, was a red mark. The blue metal on his helm had faded to silver and then bled into the red. It snaked around his left optic and down his facial plating, giving the appearance of someone who meant harm.

It did not belong on Optimus Prime at all. 

As Optimus halted in front of Viviane, his mouth plates curled back to form a snarl. He eyed her with nothing but contempt and disgust.

“Optimus! What are you doing? We fought together!” Cade’s pleas fell on deaf audios as Optimus lowered himself to one knee, punching the ground with such force that Viviane fell back against one of the four columns that seemed to support the whole structure.

“I fight for my own kind! My own planet!” Optimus roared the words, pitching his voice to its lowest tone but highest volume. It made Cordelia’s bones feel as if they were vibrating. 

He pushed his great visage into Viviane’s personal space, looking her up and down coldly. 

“Give me the Staff, human.” Viviane hesitated, visibly and audibly trembling. 

Cordelia wanted to run to her guardian and take his face in her hands and take away all that was wrong with him. She wanted to call out to him to look at her and her alone. 

But she could not do either of these things. It was as if her feet were rooted to the spot and it felt like she had swallowed her voice deep down into the pit of her stomach. All she could do was look on helplessly whilst the person that she loved most in the world bore down on Viviane, intent on his mission.

Viviane looked to Cade, her blue eyes bright with fear and trepidation. 

“I will kill you.” Optimus stated calmly, and Cordelia swore she saw the fingers of his clenched fist flex, just a little.

Viviane found her voice again. “C-Cade?” 

“Give it to him,” Cade commanded, his voice sounding as desolate as that of an abandoned tomb.

With a shaking hand, Viviane held the Staff out to Optimus, who reached out and took it roughly from her. He tucked into place behind his left breast plate, as one might tuck something into a breast pocket. 

As soon as Optimus was clear from Viviane, the TRF agents opened fire on him.

One round struck him squarely on the back of his right shoulder, but he did not even flinch. 

He rose with an easy grace, as if he did not have a care in the world and fired a single blast from a cannon that had appeared from his right arm. 

He stepped over the TRF agents, seemingly making a deliberate attempt to _not_ step on them. 

“Who dares to challenge me?” His rhetorical question hung in the air for a moment, and it was what Cordelia needed to drive her legs into motion. 

She stumbled forwards, planting herself deliberately in the Prime’s path. 

“Optimus Prime!” At the sound of her voice, he stopped and looked down at her.

She met his gaze, desperately trying to snap him out of whatever influence he was under. 

This was not her Optimus. 

This was not the gentle giant that would caress her in the palm of his hand and nuzzle her gently with his nose. This was not the mech who would bring her out of her darkest days with an encouraging word and the comforting presence of his thumb on her back.

This was not the Autobot who had saved the planet four times.

She knew he was in there somewhere, she was convinced of it. Why else would he not have killed Viviane or the TRF agents when it would have been so easy to do so?

A crushed skull between a thumb and forefinger. A body easily compressed to nothing under gigantic pedes. 

No, her Optimus was in this stranger…somewhere, and she was going to bring him back. 

He canted his head slightly as he drank in her appearance, his violet optics looking at her but almost through her at the same time. 

He knelt, bringing one hand down to her level, a finger extended. 

He drew it gently down her cheek, shoulder and arm before resting it tenderly on her bump. Then he touched it to his mouth plates and back to her bump; a metallic kiss.

Then he rose and stepped over her and walked from the chamber without looking back.

All she could do was look on in silent opposition, tears streaming freely down her face.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chaos erupted within the spherical chamber. TRF agents ran around like scattered ants, no rhyme or reason to their nervous movements.

The Cybertronian knights that Optimus had slain lay dotted about the floor like giant discarded toys, their optics dark and devoid of life. 

Cordelia was vaguely aware of Cade and Lennox making their way up a mechanical rope vine, following Bumblebee up towards the surface. Viviane was making her way back towards where they had emerged in the chamber. To Cordelia, it felt likes years had passed since they had stumbled on the final resting place of her ancient ancestor.

Leo wrapped a gentle hand around her own and begun to pull her towards him. “Come on Lia, we have to go!” 

She pulled against him, shaking her head. “No, I have to go to him. I have to go to Optimus!” 

“Are you mad? You saw what he’s like…he’s not…that’s not Optimus Lia!”

She pulled her hand completely free from his grasp. “That’s _why_ I have to go to him Leo! I can’t leave him! He’s saved me more times than anybody knows, now it’s my turn to save him.” 

“It’s true. It has been written for millennia that the Prime’s own Spark must save the Great Defender from certain doom.” 

Cordelia jumped, surprised to find that Cogman had mysteriously appeared at her side without a sound. 

Leo looked at the small Cybertronian suspiciously, his blue eyes narrowed in mistrust. “That sounds awfully convenient.” 

“Convenient or not, it is the truth. Cordelia is needed to bring the Prime back to himself. Without her, there will be no Prime. With no Prime, you can say goodbye to your world and everything you hold dear. The choice is yours.” 

Cordelia took Leo’s face in her hands, standing on her very tip toes to look him in the eye. “Please Leo, let me go with your blessing. You know I’ll go anyway, but I would hate the last words we have to be angry ones.” She framed his face between her small hands, brushing his soft sideburns with her thumbs. 

Tears welled in his eyes as he leaned down and pressed his face into the hollow of her neck, inhaling deeply. His hands came up and traced every plane of her face, down the upturned tip of her nose to her chin. He smiled weakly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Do you know that you infuriate me? There is only one way I am going to let you go up there and join a giant robot fight.” 

She raised a brow quizzically at him.

“I’ll be coming with you of course.” He winked wryly at her. “Do you think I want to face Optimus once he’s all back to normal and tell him that I let you go up there alone? I don’t think so _bach._ ” 

Cordelia laughed and released his face from her grip. 

Cogman stepped forward, a slightly impatient expression on his face plate. “Madam, if I may? The way up to the surface without going through the water is steep and I fear you will exert yourself too much before you even reach our destination.” 

He held a hand out to her, as if he was going to do a waltz around a grand ballroom with her. She eyed it uncertainly, aware of his diminutive stature. 

Cogman seemed to read her thoughts. “I can assure you madam, I am up for the task. It is the only way we will reach the surface of the ship in time.”

She took his hand hesitantly and he swung her gently up onto his back. “Madam, if you could ensure that you hold on as tightly as you are able, it will assist me in our ascent. Sir, are you able to climb upwards and quickly?”

“That won’t be a problem.” 

Cordelia locked her arms around Cogman’s neck in a vice grip that surely would have strangled a human. Her bump made doing the same with her legs a little awkward, but she wrapped them around his slender frame as best she could. 

She felt Cogman’s hands on her thighs and her body was gently shifted upwards a few inches. “Apologies for my familiarity madam, I just need to ensure that you are as secure as possible.” 

“No worries, Cogman.” 

Despite his small build, Cogman seemed to have no problem carrying Cordelia through the winding passages of the sunken alien ship. 

After a few minutes of turning this way and that through the warren that were the ship’s many passage ways, Cogman stopped and looked up. Cordelia followed the direction of his gaze and saw the smallest crack of sunlight managing to break through the bleak dark and damp. 

A sudden jolting sensation came over the whole ship, followed by the feeling of being risen up. 

It felt to Cordelia a similar sensation when Optimus picked her up, albeit on a much larger scale.

Cogman climbed quickly and efficiently, locating the most convenient hand and footholds with which to help him on his assent. 

Leo climbed tirelessly behind them, though Cordelia thought she could hear his breathing becoming slightly shallower and more laboured as they progressed.

She could feel her arms beginning to tire around Cogman’s neck and she wrapped them around even tighter, trying to get a more secure grip. She felt a bizarre sensation of her insides being flipped upside down and inside out all at the same time as Nova flipped and kicked within her. Because of the large bump, Cordelia was unable to press the front of her body to the back of Cogman’s, instead she had to turn slightly to the side to sit comfortably on his back. 

Finally, they emerged through a giant opening in the ceiling. Leo popped his head up next to them, his face red with exertion and breathing heavily. Cogman gently manipulated Cordelia onto the surface of the ship, which was now above the surface of the water.

 _Well, that explains the weird sensation we all felt just now,_ Cordelia thought, scanning the area wildly for Optimus and Bumblebee. 

From what Cordelia could see, they were atop an enormous circular structure. The four columns that had gone upwards when they were in the ship now travelled downwards, deep into the bowels of the vessel itself.

Cordelia guessed that the circumference of the giant circle had to at the very least, be several football fields long, maybe even half a mile. In the centre, a colossal pillar stood above everything, dominating the otherwise bare space. 

Torrents of grey ocean water washed over the structure, merciless to anything in its path. The air was full of tiny water droplets, and they settled themselves into Cordelia’s hair and cheeks, causing a chill that she did not feel. 

Her green eyes scoured the vicinity, desperate for a glimpse of Optimus. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash catch the sun. She spun around to find the source and her gaze landed on two small shapes in the near distance, one significantly larger than the other. The flash glared again as the two shapes moved in synchronicity, trading blows and dodging each other. 

Without thinking, she grabbed Leo’s hand and began to run. 

She ran harder than she had done in Mission City when she’d had the Cube clutched to her chest. She ran harder than she had done when Optimus commanded her to leave him, after he had been slain by Megatron. She ran harder than she had done in Hong Kong. 

She ran harder than she had ever run before, because this time she was not running to save herself. She was running to save the life of the person she loved most in the world. To save the life of the one person that she knew she could absolutely not live without.

She ran for the love she bore Optimus Prime. For the love that resided within every cell in her body. For the love of the Autobot that had taken her fractured soul, and piece by piece, knitted it back together with every love and tender care.

Unburdened by fear, tiredness or the life living within her, Cordelia ran. A steady, constant rhythm, not dissimilar to the beat of a war drum. 

One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. One. Foot. In. Front. Of. The. Other. 

She did not feel the cramping pain of the stitch in her side, nor the burn from the build-up of lactic acid in her calf muscles. 

Adrenaline surged through her veins, pushing her on and on. She knew nothing except for the fact that she had to get to Optimus as quickly as was humanly possible.

She spared no thought for Cogman, left hundreds of metres behind. Nor did Cade or Viviane cross her mind. She was mildly aware of Leo, sprinting desperately at her side, but nothing would sway her from her task. 

Such was the power of her concentration and focus, she failed to notice the enormous wave that was falling toward her and Leo. 

It fell upon them with devastating power, sweeping the pair of them off their feet and into a mini-pool that had formed in a divot on the surface of the floating ship. 

For a few seconds all she could see was red. The power of the water had dislodged her hair from its bun and it now floated in a loose red cloud around her head and in her field of vision. She shut her eyes against the sting of the salt water, but it had no effect. Involuntarily, she inhaled, pulling in the cold water through her nostrils. 

She had no idea which way the world was supposed to be. She could not discern up from down or left from right. She flailed her arms and legs wildly, frantically trying to get to the surface. 

Ice shot down her veins and a thousand knives stabbed into her arms and legs. In the back of her mind she remembered an advert on the television telling someone to stay still if they ever found themselves in freezing water.

Sure, that was easy if you weren’t eight months pregnant, trying to save the planet and had the sensation of being burned alive.

Her eyelids suddenly felt insurmountably heavy, and keeping them open became a mammoth task. 

Images of Optimus flashed through her mind.

Standing quietly by his feet after the battle in Mission City.

Sitting on his shoulder as he stood aboard one of the US’s navy carriers.

Holding him up against his grief as he mourned the loss of Sentinel Prime.

Him holding her to his chest, rocking her to and fro after he had learned what Attinger had done to her.

Setting eyes on him for the very first time.

_Setting eyes on him for the very first time._

.o

Then, the images were wiped away as if they had been mixed in with the water itself.

A warm feeling made itself known around her waist and suddenly, the world was the right way around again.

She opened her eyes to see Leo leaning over her, a panicked expression on his face. When their eyes met, he pulled her into a fierce embrace, kissing her fervently on her forehead.

She coughed up a load of sea water, the bitter taste lingering at the back of her sore throat. 

“Oh thank God.” Leo exclaimed, cupping the back of her head and rocking her gently. 

“Ugh, what happened?” She croaked, gasping at the red-hot poker that seemed to have lodged itself in her throat.

“A wave swept us up and you went under and inhaled some water. The baby’s fine, I felt her kicking away.” 

Cordelia nodded and struggled to her feet, pulling Leo with her. 

Dull vibrations shook the floor as they continued their frantic pursuit of the Autobot leader. 

They emerged over a slope and saw Optimus and Bumblebee locked in a vicious brawl. 

Whilst Optimus clearly had the upper-hand, Bumblebee was fighting valiantly, desperately trying to overcome his leader.

Optimus swatted Bumblebee back as if he were no more than an annoying insect. 

As soon as he was knocked down, Bumblebee was back on his feet and back on the attack. 

He charged at Optimus, raising his hammer and striking Optimus squarely in the jaw. The blow forced Optimus to his knees. He was straight back up on his feet and landed a counter-blow on the back of Bumblebee’s head and then threw him over his head and slammed him onto the ground.

Before Bumblebee had the chance to get up, Optimus grasped Bumblebee’s door-wings and ripped them from his back, throwing them callously to the side. 

“I AM NEMESIS PRIME! YOU ARE **NOTHING!** ” His voice bellowed, and even from this distance, it caused Cordelia’s ribs to vibrate. 

Bumblebee armed his ion blaster and fired it relentlessly at Optimus, who began to roll down the steep slope that Cordelia and Leo were standing on top of. 

As he rolled, Bumblebee gave chase but Optimus’ long arms allowed him to reach up and grab the young scout by his chest. He threw him to the bottom of the slope and picked him up once he himself got to the bottom. 

He threw Bumblebee into the ground repeatedly, as easily as if he was a ragdoll.

Once. Twice. Three times the scout’s yellow body slammed into the ground, pieces of metal flying off in every direction.

Cordelia spotted the small white shape that was Cade, desperately trying to get in between the two fighting titans. 

She could watch no more. She threw herself forward into a run, ignoring Leo’s shouts of protest. The slick surface of the ship quickly overpowered her and she tumbled to the ground, rolling down the wet slope in a tangled heap of arms and legs.

She crashed heavily into Bumblebee’s shoulder, perilously close to the tip of Optimus’ sword. Bumblebee swatted the sword free from Optimus’ hand, but this made little difference. He pummelled Bumblebee’s face again and again and **again** with a closed fist.

The only thing that stopped Bumblebee’s face being smashed to smithereens was his battle mask which had slid into place. It was heavily dented in the shape of Optimus’ clenched fist, three knuckle marks clearly denoted in the damaged yellow metal. 

Leo rolled past her and came to rest near Bumblebee’s waist. 

Cade was on Bumblebee’s chest, yelling desperately at Optimus to stop.

Still the poundings came, and Cordelia could see that Bumblebee was beginning to weaken. 

Optimus seemed to sense this too, and armed himself with a smooth, deadly looking dagger. The weapon seemed to have appeared from above his left hand, from his wrist.

It was slow motion as he raised his left arm, ready to deliver the final and lethal blow. 

Cordelia did not know where she found the strength to scream at Optimus, or what made him stop and listen to her. 

It was as if some unseen force had taken over her body, and she was merely the vessel of its will. 

“OPTIMUS! IT’S ME! IT’S CORDELIA!!!” Her voice sounded shrill and other-worldly, but as soon as the words left her mouth, Optimus paused, the dagger maybe a foot from stabbing Bumblebee in the face.

This time when Optimus looked at her, he really _saw_ her. 

The fierce snarl on his face melted away to reveal an expression of uncertainty and pure horror. 

Confusion, disbelief, hurt and shock crossed his face. His optics flickered, their colour changing between violet and blue, before finally settling on the blue that Cordelia knew so well.

The giant red mark going down the left side of his face faded and gave way to the blue and silver that made up the rest of his face and helm. 

The dagger snapped back into his wrist as he straightened, his mouth opening and closing as if he’d lost the power of speech. 

Bumblebee used his special ability to re-attach his door-wings and got gingerly to his feet. 

Optimus got to his own feet, stepping away from Bumblebee and the small crowd of humans. 

He covered his face with both hands, crashing to his knees. His hydraulics hissed, his audial covers rotated furiously this way and that and his vocoder whined audibly. His entire frame quaked and shivered, crushed by the weight of the emotion coursing through him. 

Cordelia approached him, shaking off Leo’s hand on her shoulder. 

She laid a tentative hand on his thigh, looking up at him, seeing only the underside of his chin. 

Servos whirred as one hand descended towards her. He took her proffered hand between a thumb and forefinger with even more gentleness than he usually did. 

His thumb rubbed tender circles into the back of her hand. Through his fingers, she could feel the vibrations of his body as he struggled to bring himself under control. 

She placed her other hand on the tip of his finger and planted a kiss there, with all the tenderness that she could muster. 

There was a sharp sound of air being cycled as Optimus invented a large volume of air through the vents on the back of his head.

He let it out of his nose in the form of steam; the cooling fans within his head had not had chance to cool the air as it exited his body. It had been cycled too quickly. 

It dawned on Cordelia what she was witnessing. _A Cybertronian panic attack,_ she thought, the realisation dawning coldly upon her. 

She climbed up and settled with some difficulty on his thigh. “Optimus. It’s me. It’s Lia.” 

She pitched her voice low, speaking gently, trying to soothe the great Autobot. 

The hand holding hers turned over in silent invitation and she slid herself home into his waiting palm. His other hand came down to guide her on, ensuring that she did not slip backwards.

He cupped her in both hands and buried his face in them, enveloping her in all of him. 

From the outside, he looked like someone in prayer; on his knees with his face buried within his cupped hands. A few strands of Cordelia’s auburn hair were visible in between his silvery fingers.

In Optimus’ hands, the only light came from the soft light of his optics, bathing her in an ethereal blue glow. 

She shuffled forward on her knees and placed both hands on his nose, leaning her forehead tenderly against him.

“Shh. Shh. I’m here Optimus. I’m here.” Slowly, his trembling ceased and he was able to exvent normally again.

A strong scent of ozone surrounded her, not dissimilar to how the ground smelt after a brief rain shower.

“Cordelia…I…I…” his baritone voice quavered, unsteady and fearful. He nuzzled closer to her, seeking her comfort and reassurance. 

Cool liquid seeped from the inner corners of his optics, falling into the gaps between his facial plating and falling down the back of Cordelia’s neck. 

“Shh, shh. It’s okay. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” She comforted him as a mother would a child, offering him her own strength when his own failed him.

He invented again, this time slowly and steadily. He let the cool air out from his nose, ruffling Cordelia’s hair. 

“What…have…I done? I remember everything Lia…everything! I was weak and could not stop it!” 

She pressed herself as much as her bump would allow to the shape of his face, nuzzling into his nose. His lip plates clicked quietly against her swollen abdomen in a gentle kiss. 

“By the AllSpark Cordelia, the baby!” 

“Shh, she’s fine. She’s been kicking away, so don’t you worry – “ she did not get chance to finish her sentence. 

Optimus snapped his head up to look at something in the distance, flooding his hands with bright sunlight. 

Cordelia watched as his facial expression turned to one of horror and she was slightly jostled in his hands as he rushed to get to his feet. He turned his back on whatever was approaching and leaned over her, protectively clutching her against his chest and using his body to shield her.

In the time it took her to blink, Optimus, Bumblebee, Cade and Leo were blown off their feet by a huge explosion. 

Optimus turned in mid-air so that he would land on his left shoulder, rolling to absorb the worst of the impact. He opened his hands onto the ground and Cordelia tumbled from them, rolling into a ball to protect her pregnant stomach. 

At once he was leaning over her whilst Bumblebee pulled Cade and Leo to stand beneath him, using his own body to defend them from any fire. 

Cordelia turned to see who had attacked them and was horrified to see Megatron and an unknown Decepticon land at Optimus’ side. 

Megatron kicked Optimus roughly to the ground and reached into the space behind his breast plate, plucking the Staff from it. 

He grabbed Optimus forcibly by one of his ear finials, holding him in place. “I knew you couldn’t do it. Your time is over, Prime. You failed. You turned your back on Cybertron, now you will watch Earth die!” He shoved Optimus away from him and leapt into the air, transforming into a jet and zooming away. 

It was then that twelve enormous Cybertronian knights appeared on the top of the slope that surrounded them and sprinted down, their weapons brandished.

They bellowed in Cybertronian and English, striking Optimus with a brutal ferocity, forcing him down onto his hands and knees. 

Cordelia lurched to his side, bracing herself against his forearm. He looked down at her, and all the fight was gone from him. He looked tired and ready to just lay down and accept his lot. 

“Lia, the Guardian Knights are going to kill me.” 

Tears streamed down Cordelia’s face, rendering her vision useless. She held herself to his face, trying to eliminate all space between them. “No! No! It doesn’t have to be this way!” she sobbed, half screaming at both him and the attacking knights.

She was vaguely aware of Cade scrambling onto Optimus’ back, to face the main knight head on. 

The knight spoke in a low growl, his voice gravelly. “The judgement is…death!” He then turned and swung his sword almost gracefully, ready to strike Optimus. It reminded Cordelia of how, in the reign of Henry VIII, traitors were beheaded with an axe or sword. 

She became aware of a shimmering, clicking sound and turned to find its source. 

Cade stood atop the Prime’s back, the Talisman that he had worn for so long, finally revealing its true purpose. The Talisman transformed before Cordelia’s eyes into a long and elegant sword. 

Her eyes tracked its movement through the air and its collision with the sword of the attacking knight. 

Cade’s sword should not have been able to stop the much larger, much stronger knight’s but it did. 

As the two blades met, a glowing blue light erupted from in between them. At once the knights all lowered their weapons and instead raised them skywards, all uttering the ancient phrase; _Seglass ni Tonday._

Cordelia knew deep within her heart that Cade’s blade was that of the ancient king Arthur. The blade that came from the Lady of the Lake. The blade that had been known through the ages as _Excalibur._

Optimus remained on his hands and knees, Cordelia standing quivering by his face. He lowered himself slightly, bringing his eyes level with Cordelia’s.

She searched his face, and found it to be tired. He wore the scars of battle and war in his weary gaze. In the lines of his face plates were etched the world and friends he had lost. 

“Cordelia…” when he spoke, his voice was low and solemn. “I have failed you. I have doomed Earth. Earth…the only place in the universe whose people let me call it… _home._ ” 

She could see that these words pained him more than any others he had yet said, each one weighing heavily on his already overburdened Spark. 

She placed a small hand on his cold cheek, grazing her knuckles softly up and down the smooth metal. 

He leaned into her touch, his ‘purr’ of contentment barely audible. 

“We can’t do this without you. Optimus, there is no _home_ without **you**. Only you can make this right big guy.” 

Optimus smiled weakly at her and nuzzled her gently with his nose. 

Then he rose to his feet, leaning one hand on a knee as he stood. 

A warmth rose within Cordelia’s chest as she watched him stand tall and proud, with his shoulders back and his chest out. 

“My brothers, I will **never** betray you again. To save Earth, we must go to Cybertron and destroy Quintessa!” 

He knelt and gathered Cordelia carefully in his fingers. 

“Come, my little one. I shall take you to safety.” 

Cordelia let herself fall back against his strong fingers, relishing the safety and strength of the feel of his hand beneath her small body. 

Optimus was back, and she knew that together, they could conquer the world. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Optimus activated his calf rockets and took Cordelia back down to Earth. He landed smoothly, keeping her tucked against his chest to avoid jostling her too much. 

Seconds later, the helicopter carrying Cade, Viviane and Leo landed nearby. From her raised vantage point in Optimus’ palm, the helicopter looked like a child’s toy. 

Optimus leaned down and let her carefully out of his grasp as Leo, Cade and Viviane exited the chopper. 

Cordelia slammed into Leo, jumping to eliminate the height difference between them, wrapping both of her legs around his waist. He ‘oofed’ in surprise but accepted her affection without question, burying his face into her wet hair. 

He helped her get her feet back on the ground, pulling back to look at her.

“Lia, are you alright? Are you hurt at all?” 

She shook her head and remained latched onto him, only now struck by the enormity of what she had just done.

She, a five-foot-one, eight-month pregnant _human_ had brought Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, back from the brink. The brink of what, she did not yet know, but she was sure that Optimus would tell her in his own time and only when he was ready to do so. 

Cade pulled her into a tight embrace as Leo released her, ruffling her hair with one of his weathered hands. Viviane hung back, hesitantly waiting for Cade to be done with his boisterous show of affection. 

Cordelia surprised herself and Viviane by approaching her and enveloping her in a loose hug. Viviane was the sole link that she had with her mother, and she found herself unwilling to let that go easily. 

Viviane relaxed into her embrace, wrapping her arms around Cordelia’s neck. She gasped when she noticed Optimus standing over them somewhat awkwardly. 

Cordelia grabbed her hand and led her up to the Autobot leader, motioning for Optimus to come down to their level. 

He did so more slowly than usual, perhaps aware of the fact that the last time he had been stood in Viviane’s presence, he had threatened to kill her. 

He came down on one knee, bracing his weight on a closed fist. The soggy grass made soft tearing sounds as his immense weight bore down on it.

Cordelia looked up at her guardian, and saw that his expression was one of worry and concern. His nervous optics tracked her and Viviane’s movements, and he did not reach towards her as he would normally do.

Cordelia felt Viviane pull back slightly as they drew nearer to Optimus.

“It’s okay,” she soothed. “He won’t hurt us.” She rubbed reassuring circles into the back of Viviane’s hand with her thumb, trying to convey a sense of safety to the older woman. 

Optimus’ audial covers rotated softly, betraying the nerves Cordelia knew that he was battling with.

“Optimus, can I please introduce to you, my sister? This is Viviane Wembley, and we only discovered a short time ago that we are half-sisters. We share the same mother; Guinevere.” 

Optimus gave them a small smile and extended an index finger towards Viviane. 

She took it after a few seconds’ hesitation, grasping the tip of it gingerly with both hands before skipping quickly backwards. 

“I’m…erh…pleased to meet you, Mr Prime.” 

Optimus inclined his head graciously at the woman, regarding her with curious optics. 

“The pleasure is mine, Miss Wembley. If I may, I wish to apologise for my atrocious behaviour aboard the ship. No words, nor actions can condone my behaviour towards you, but I can only offer you the fact that I was not in my…right mind when I made those threats against you. It pains my Spark more than you know to realise that the way I conducted myself towards you is the source of your fear of me.” 

He lowered his great visage further still, bringing his jaw level with Cordelia’s tiny height.

Cordelia placed a comforting hand on the underside of his chin, drawing small circles into the smooth metal with her nails.

Viviane faltered and then composed herself. “Really, it’s fine. We all have…bad days.” She stepped forward, coming within a few feet of Optimus’ lowered face. “I understand that your actions…were not of your own doing. And I hold no blame towards you…I know that you are one of the ‘good guys.’” 

Optimus inclined his head again to her. “Thank you, Miss Wembley. You show me more clemency than I am deserving of.” 

Cordelia watched Viviane, watched the way one hand found its way to rest on the back of her neck. She watched the way that the blood slowly bloomed up her throat and into her cheeks. 

“Honestly Mr Prime, it’s water under the bridge.” 

Optimus offered her a small smile. “Please Miss Wembley, Optimus will do just fine.”

She smiled shyly back up at him. “Very well, only if you call me Viviane though.” 

Optimus extended his finger once more. “Alright then, Viviane. We have a deal.” 

She took it warmly, all apprehension forgotten. She turned her head as Cade called her name, motioning to a young girl that he had one arm around.

She was young, maybe only fifteen or so years old and had a deep olive colour to her tanned skin. Her black hair hung in two long plaits down her back. Her dark brown eyes regarded Optimus warily, but she gave a small wave all the same.

Cordelia and Optimus raised their hands in greeting at the same time as Viviane made her way over to Cade and the nameless girl at his side. 

Optimus turned to regard Cordelia in the steady azure glow of his gentle optics. 

A faint breeze blew across the field they were stood in, and Cordelia took the opportunity to take in her surroundings. 

For miles upon miles, all she could see were the many shades of green that formed the neat little fields. They were separated into neat squares and rectangles by countless dark green hedges. As she turned, she was stunned to see the imposing figures of the enormous stones that made up Stonehenge. 

Optimus turned to follow her gaze, taking in the surroundings for the first time himself. 

Cordelia placed a small hand on the armour that made up his forearm, immediately bringing his attention back to her. 

He turned his left hand over, uncurling his fingers to form an open palm, an invitation. 

Cordelia settled herself carefully into his mammoth grasp, assuming her usual position, leaned back against his fingers with one arm hooked around his thumb. 

She was jostled lightly as he moved to stand, curling his fingers over her slightly to protect her from the whoosh of air that came with his assent. 

“Lia…are you alright?” 

She turned to face him, motioning to be brought close to his face. He appeased her and raised her to eye level, shifting his grip around her so that all four of his fingers were wrapped tenderly around her middle.

She leaned forward and leaned against his nose, pressing a warm kiss to the smooth metal. It warmed beneath her gentle touch, as if Optimus had been stood in the warm sunshine for the whole day. 

She settled back in his palm, using his thumb as an anchor point to counteract her sense of imbalance due to the watermelon sized bump protruding from between her slender hips. 

“I’m fine big guy, but more importantly, are **you** okay?” 

He looked away from her for a second, hundreds of unsaid secrets passing through his guarded optics. 

“I am…under construction right now. We can speak later Lia…after the more pressing matters at hand have been dealt with.” 

She nodded in taciturn agreement. “Yes, but don’t think you’re getting out of it that easily. After you’ve dealt with this…Quintessa or whatever her name is, we’re going to sit down and talk.” 

He smiled sadly at her, the gesture not fully reaching his mouth. “Indeed little one, we will indeed talk after I have dealt with Quintessa. How has the baby been? It’s hard to believe, in just the space of a single month how much she has grown.” 

Cordelia cradled her bump, wrapping her arms around its considerable circumference. “She’s been okay. Kicking away in there. I’m quite envious of her actually, all she needs to worry about is growing properly and what I eat.” She pushed herself up onto her knees and stole a quick glance over his curled fingers.

Down on the ground, Cade, Viviane and the nameless girl had gathered expectantly, surrounded by Cade and a few other nameless TRF agents. She turned back to Optimus. “Come on then big guy, your audience awaits.” 

Usually Optimus was quite guarded with displays of public affection when they were in the company of government officials, heads of state and military personnel, but on this occasion he seemed to throw caution to the wind.

He raised Cordelia once more to his face and planted the most tender kiss on her cold cheek. The contact was so delicate and so careful that it brought tears to Cordelia’s eyes. She blinked them back, determined not to let them fall. 

He wordlessly returned her to the ground, placing her on her own two feet, lingering for a second or two in case she stumbled backward. 

He rose then in one fluid motion. Cordelia walked over the uneven grass to join Leo, Cade and Viviane amongst the small crowd of humans that had gathered at Optimus’ feet. 

The other Autobots made their way over too, closely followed by the twelve Guardian Knights that had followed Optimus down from the enormous Cybertronian ship that had remained airborne. 

Cordelia craned her neck to look up at Optimus as he began to speak. 

“Knights, Autobots, this cannot and will **not** be the end! To save Earth and her people, we are going to steal Quintessa’s Staff. Only you, Cordelia and Viviane, can take it back. I will lead the way into her chamber, and when the account of the ages is etched into the cosmos, let those who exist long after us know, that **this** was our finest hour!” 

Without waiting for a response, he activated his rockets and exploded into the air, making his way toward a tiny green lump that was somehow floating high in the sky. 

Cordelia wasted no time in following Cade, Leo and Viviane into a waiting Osprey.

“Woah woah woah. What do you think you’re doing?” Leo demanded, placing a hand on her shoulder as she stepped aboard the aircraft.

“What do you think? Helping to save the bloody planet!” 

“Have you failed to notice the fact that you are growing a tiny human inside you?!” 

She shrugged his hand off, narrowing her eyes at him defiantly. “In case **you** haven’t noticed, I’m _pregnant,_ not incapacitated.” She shoved past him and went to sit next to Viviane who was being strapped into her jump seat by one of the TRF agents.

A small doubt niggled at the back of her mind. What if Leo was right? What if she should stay down here because of just _how_ pregnant she was?

She shook her head, trying to dislodge the thought. She knew that she would never be able to live with herself if she didn’t even at least _try_ to help. 

She walked ahead of Leo into the waiting Osprey, avoiding William Lennox’s penetrating gaze as she ascended the ramp into the belly of the aircraft.

She settled herself next to Viviane, pulling the seat down of the jump seat. She turned to do her seatbelt up and was pleased to find that it was a four-point harness. She did it up with ease, having travelled on enough military aircrafts to know which buckle went where. 

She did have to adjust the length of the belt quite generously to allow for her expanded form. She felt Nova roll and kick inside her, as if in protest. She reached down and stroked her bump apologetically.

“Sorry baby, it won’t be long. It won’t be long.” She kept her voice as quiet as she could, not wanting her co-passengers to hear her murmurings to her unborn child. 

Viviane and Cade did their belts up without assistance, as did Leo, who had taken a seat directly opposite. 

Cordelia looked at him and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ to him. He smiled wryly at her and reached forward for her hand. She extended her arm and closed the gap, interlocking their fingers. 

Lennox came aboard then, strapping himself in with the manner of precision that only military personnel were capable of. 

There was a low thrumming noise as the pilots started up the propellers and engines. Whilst the pilot and co-pilot were going through their pre-flight checks, Lennox addressed the small group of unlikely comrades. 

“Listen up! We’re about to try and attempt something that we don’t even know will work. If you have doubts, now is the time to voice them.” Silence was his only reply, and he took it as an incentive to continue. “Prime has given us the co-ordinates to the drop zone. We’re gonna hitch a ride on the Autobots’ ship and once we’ve gained enough altitude; we will virtually guide to the drop zone. An Osprey’s maximum altitude is around 12,000 feet, so it will be interesting to see how the rotors cope at 21,000. Now, this ain’t gonna be an easy ride, nor an easy mission. This is the end game right here, but what we do, we do for our families and for the planet. We fight alongside our brothers and sisters. Are you with me?” 

In answer, the nameless TRF agents ripped the emblem from their uniforms and discarded them on the floor before pounding their chests with a closed fist. 

No more was said as the aircraft chugged into the air and into the loading bay of the Autobots’ cavernous ship. 

Cordelia lost count of the number of times that her stomach somersaulted and her ears popped. She hung on to the belt at her chest, concentrating on keeping her breathing smooth and even. Next to her, Viviane was bouncing one leg up and down whilst she concentrated greatly on the floor of the plane.

Cade was muttering to himself under his breath and Leo was deceptively calm. 

Cordelia knew that out of all of them, save for the TRF soldiers and Lennox, that Leo would cope the easiest with the mission ahead. With his service history with both the British Army and the United States, he knew what was coming.

Countless minutes and seconds went by as the Knight Ship flew seamlessly through a suspiciously cloudless sky, ascending as silently and as deadly as a predator upon its unsuspecting prey. 

There was an ominous rumbling of both the aircraft and the Knight Ship as they continued to gain altitude. Out of nowhere, the floor supporting the Ospreys disappeared and the aircrafts were airborne again, tumbling into the sky like dominoes. 

A low thrumming noise sounded behind them and Cordelia leaned forward in her seat to look out of the exit ramp. A Decepticon fighter was hot on their tail, firing at them without mercy.

The Decepticon fighter had a huge size advantage over them and devastating firepower, but in comparison, the Osprey was quick and nimble. The pilots manoeuvred the plane seamlessly, performing scissor turns and 360-degree somersaults to avoid the constant barrage of enemy fire.

Cordelia concentrated extremely hard on the slatted floor of the cabin, desperately willing herself not to be sick. She clung tightly to the straps on her chest, breathing slowly in through her nose and out through her mouth.

A strong smell of acrid gunfire entered her nostrils, a distinctly sulphuric odour to it. She concentrated on the harsh scent, using it to distract herself from her immediate surroundings.

Her ears popped and whistled as the Osprey wheeled and turned in the sky, now having to dodge the imposing metallic vines of the approaching Cybertron. 

She heard the dull explosions of the unlucky Ospreys that were either shot down by the Decepticons or crashed into one of the enormous supports of Cybertron itself. 

She could no longer tell if it was her stomach somersaulting or if it was the baby within her protesting furiously at having her world rocked so violently. 

A flash of green made itself known in the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to see the ignition pad that Lennox had been speaking about earlier. It was an odd fusion of green and metal, hexagonal in appearance with great holes in the ground where huge gun turrets had appeared, seemingly from nowhere. 

“We’re going down!” Lennox’s panicked shout rang through the cabin and the plane’s passengers all went into the brace position at the same time. 

They crashed into the ground, hard.

Cordelia felt as if her neck had become detached from her body as the plane rolled, throwing its passengers heads and legs around as if they were ragdolls.

A painful twinge shot down the back of her neck and into her spine, exaggerated when the plane forced her forward in her seatbelt.

After what seemed like an age of rolling, crashing and the sound of shredding metal, the plane finally came to a stop. 

A quick glance around the cabin told Cordelia that everybody had survived the violent crash landing. They quickly undid their seatbelts and exited the aircraft, heading for one of the hexagonal holes that Cordelia had seen from the air. 

The other Autobots were already there, Hound stood protectively over the small group of humans that were huddled by his feet. Bumblebee and Hot Rod concentrated their fire at the multiple gun turrets that were pinning them down in one place. 

Drift and Crosshairs were dancing a deadly aerial routine with some Decepticons, leaping to and from the supports that were anchoring Cybertron to the Earth. 

Chaos reigned everywhere Cordelia looked. Bullets flew through the air like demonic bees, accompanied by the acrid smell of the surrounding gunfire. Dull reverberations thudded in her chest in time to the galloping beat of her thundering heart. 

“Stay down!” Hound’s voice bellowed from above her as he rained a barrage of firepower on the advancing Decepticons. His gatling gun purred almost seductively as the rotating barrel spat out bullet after bullet.

Leo and Cade were either side of her, both laying on their stomachs. Leo had been armed with a powerful looking rifle and was shooting at the smaller Decepticon drones that were intent on shooting down Bumblebee and Hot Rod. 

Cordelia searched the immediate area frantically for any sign of Optimus. Her vision was slightly hampered by the hole that she was stood in and the smoke from the gunfire and towering robots. 

She crawled on her hands and knees, using her low centre of gravity to stay close to the ground. She made her way to Hound’s foot and placed a hand on his ankle. She got to her feet with some difficulty and shouted up to him, hoping that the wind would carry her voice. 

“Hound! Have you seen Optimus?”

He turned his great head down to look at her, the metal ‘dreads’ that served as his ‘beard’ moving slightly with the motion. 

“The boss is on his way titch, give him time. He’s getting’ sumthin’ big ready.” 

His words were drowned out by the thundering fire of the gun turret that was stopping them from advancing to the entrance of the ignition chamber. 

“We need to blow that motherfuckin’ thing to smithereens or we’re never gonna get to the ignition chamber!” 

Hound’s frustration seeped through into his voice as he conveniently shot an approaching Decepticon straight in the face, causing it to explode into a fountain of sparks and exposed circuitry. 

Hound shoved the lifeless Decepticon off to one side before it could topple onto the small crowd of humans that were huddled beneath him. 

Cade had brought out his ‘alien’ gun that he had found before the battle of Hong Kong, and was shooting at the gun turret with all the might that he possessed. 

The other Autobots were still locked in fierce battle with their opponents, preventing them from getting any closer to the one Autobot and group of humans who were essentially stranded in the hexagonal hole. 

Cordelia didn’t need to be a trained military official to see that the battle was slowly falling into the Decepticons’ favour. The Autobots were preventing the Decepticons from advancing on the little ground that they occupied, but they were also failing to gain any ground. Both sides faced a stalemate, and neither looked likely to win anytime soon. 

A distant whooshing sound gradually started to grow louder and louder. Cordelia turned her head to find the source of the sound and was stunned to see an enormous metallic dragon heading straight for them. It glided gracefully through the pungent air easily on huge metallic wings, leaving behind a contrail of vapourised steam. 

Sat astride on the great creature’s back, was Optimus. His sword was brandished high above his head and he uttered a guttural war cry as the dragon dropped in altitude, skimming over the top of the battlefield. 

Overjoyed shouts from the humans and Autobots on the field sounded all around her, only intensifying when the dragon thwacked the huge gun turret with its tail, causing it to topple over and implode in on itself. 

Hound punched the air in glee and opened a fresh round of fire on the now retreating Decepticons. 

“Now **that’s** why he’s Prime, and why he got Dragonstorm!”

Cordelia tracked Dragonstorm’s path with eager eyes, not taking her gaze away from Optimus for one second. 

The dragon easily turned this way and that, flying gracefully on its silver wings. It was nimble and deadly in the air, death from above. 

Cordelia heard a low growl and was aghast to see a huge, horned Decepticon. The beast was easily many times bigger and taller than Optimus, but not as big as the Dinobots. 

She took a panicked breath into shallow lungs, watching as Optimus threw himself from the back of the dragon and slid on the earth towards the monstrous Decepticon. 

Even from the distance that she was watching from, Cordelia could hear and feel Optimus’ defiant roar of anger and aggression. He turned and leapt from the ground onto the massive Decepticon’s back, stabbing his sword into the back of its neck. 

At once, the enormous behemoth broke apart into five separate, substantially smaller Decepticons. 

They quickly moved to flank Optimus, who donned his battle mask and pointed his sword threateningly at them. 

He narrowed his optics at them, preparing to charge. “Did you forget who I am?!” He challenged as he charged forward into the circle of Decepticons, swinging his sword in a graceful arc and decapitating all of them with a single blow. 

“I AM OPTIMUS PRIME!” He declared, his voice carrying over the vast distance. 

He called his Autobots to the offensive and Cordelia wasted no time in shouting up to Hound. 

“Give me a ride?” 

He winked down at her and scooped her up easily into his broad palm. “You’d best hold on titch, this is gonna be a bumpy ride.” He curled his fingers around her to keep her secure in his grip and began to sprint towards his leader.

Hound’s gait was a lot choppier than Optimus’, and Cordelia’s stomach threatened a revolt. Nova squirmed furiously inside her, kicking hard against her swollen abdomen. 

Hound made it to Optimus in record time and had the situation not been so dire, Cordelia would have laughed out loud at the gobsmacked expression on her guardian’s face.

His optics were so large and round with shock, they looked like they were about to burst clean out of their housings. 

“Hound, Cordelia, what, how?” He seemed to have lost the ability to form full sentences but accepted Cordelia’s weight from Hound without question. 

A few seconds later, Cade, Leo and Viviane arrived at the entrance to the ignition chamber. Optimus put Cordelia down on the ground amongst the others. 

“You four, stay behind me.” He spoke in a tone that was not to be argued with, and they did so without waiting to be asked again. 

He knelt down on one knee and blocked a missile with his shield. Optimus took the brunt of the impact, grunting with the effort. The four humans huddling behind him were not even so much as rocked. 

Things started to happen so fast that Cordelia had trouble comprehending them.

Explosion after explosion sounded, rocking the whole place. Cordelia could feel the heat on her bare skin, even though at 21,000 feet in the air, the temperature was rather cool. 

Another explosion, more powerful than any of the previous ones, knocked them all of their feet, human and Autobot alike. 

By some unknown miracle, Cordelia landed on a huge lump of moss that had come loose from somewhere, thus cushioning her from the rough landing. They began to slide downward, the smooth metal of the ignition chamber’s floor only causing them to accelerate.

She felt someone wrap their arms around her left leg and looked behind her to see Leo. She managed to reach around and grab his hand, and when she turned to face forwards again, she saw that they were aiming on a collision course with one of the downed Osprey planes. 

It happened in slow motion. 

She watched Optimus use his rockets to go in a graceful arc over the plane and then immediately turn back to face the way he had come. 

He threw himself into the body of the Osprey, causing it to explode and break in half, allowing the humans to pass under it unharmed. 

Gravity took over then and her body left the floor to become completely suspended in mid-air. 

Leo, Cade and Viviane found themselves in the same predicament, all somersaulting with seemingly no control over their movements. 

Cordelia felt as if someone had tied a piece of string behind her naval and kept pulling her backwards with it, causing her to flail about like some crazy ragdoll. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Viviane almost swimming in an effort to get to the Staff, which had been placed into the ground of the ignition chamber. All she succeeded in doing was moving a few feet to the left, but got no closer to the Staff than she had been in the first place. 

Hound was firing bullets at Megatron who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Megatron was about to deliver the killer blow to Bumblebee when Optimus launched an attack with his sword, severing Megatron’s right arm completely from his body. 

Bumblebee, now free from immediate danger, used his foot to gently move Cordelia closer to the Staff. Leo caught her by the hand and swung her closer still, and she was able to grab hold of the Staff and used it to anchor herself to the ground. 

A funny feeling passed through her whole body, almost like a giant electric shock. She looked upwards and saw a mysterious figure with multiple metallic tentacles hovering above her. 

The figure looked down and the two locked the other in a tense gaze. The figure above Cordelia had a distinctly feminine face, and her optics were a pale blue with a purple ring in the centre. 

The figure snarled and said in a sickly-sweet voice, “Megatron, kill her!” 

Cordelia watched as Megatron prepared to shoot her, unhindered by his lost limb. 

Optimus slammed into him, uttering a furious bellow that vibrated Cordelia’s very bones. Megatron flew through the wall of the ignition chamber at the same time as Bumblebee shot the strange figure in the face, causing her to explode and disappear in a strange orb of purple light. 

The Staff came free from the ground, and whatever force that had been holding the ignition chamber in the air had now ended, and the enormous chamber began to fall. 

The sensation was sickening. Cordelia felt as if she’d left her stomach behind as she too, entered free fall. She clutched the Staff close to her body, thinking of not only how she was going to survive such a fall, but how she was going to land in order to protect her pregnant stomach.

Suddenly, she slowed down. Everything around her stayed ‘normal’, but she herself was moving as if in slow motion. 

A thin, wispy film surrounded her and she realised that Hot Rod had fired his time-stopping weapon at her to slow her descent. 

A huge blue and silver leg came into her field of vision, followed by the red and blue chassis of Optimus Prime. He clutched Cade, Viviane and Leo in one hand and reached out with the other for Cordelia. 

As his fingers wrapped around her small body, Cordelia felt herself relax and fall back into his familiar grasp. 

He brought her to his chest and tucked himself around the four humans to protect them from the flying debris of the tumbling ignition chamber. 

Cordelia’s world became a kaleidoscope of colour as the Autobot leader and the four humans tumbled back down to earth. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content/Trigger warning: graphic depiction of stillbirth labour.

Up became down and left became right as Cordelia’s world tumbled and rocked around her. 

Her stomach felt as if it had flown up into her mouth as Optimus fell toward the earth at a sickening speed, clutching the four humans safely against his broad chest. 

Cordelia held onto his silver knuckles until her own were blanched white with the effort. The wind whistled deafeningly in her ears, sending her auburn hair flying in a wild scarlet torrent about her face. 

Viviane had buried her face against Cade’s shoulder, an arm wrapped around his neck. The inventor’s face was scrunched and his eyes were tightly shut as they continued their wild free fall. 

Leo grabbed Cordelia’s hand and held it tightly, not letting go for one second. 

Suddenly, there was a low boom as Optimus activated his rockets and slowed the rate at which he was falling. He managed to twist his enormous body into the perfect position for transforming, simultaneously tucking his passengers inside himself as he attained his vehicle form. 

The Western Star truck was engulfed in the black smoke and debris from the tumbling ignition chamber. Through the dust-streaked windscreen, Cordelia could see pieces of Cybertron falling to the earth, making huge craters in the ground where they came to rest. 

Optimus dodged these obstacles skilfully, and the truck bounced across the field past the rolled haylage bales in a manner not dissimilar to a tractor attending to the farm chores. 

Cordelia found herself in the passenger’s seat, with Leo in the driver’s seat. Cade and Viviane had been bundled into the sleeper and were in a tangled heap on the bed.

It was only at that point that Cordelia caught her breath, barely allowing a disbelieving smile to slide onto her face. She leaned over the gap between the two front seats and fell into Leo’s waiting embrace, wrapping both arms tightly around his neck. 

Cade and Viviane were doing the same thing behind her, and she had the sneaking suspicion that there was a tentative romance beginning between the two. 

Optimus slowed to a halt and clicked his doors open, waiting for his human passengers to exit. 

Cordelia half stepped, half fell out of the truck’s cab. A sudden wave of fatigue washed over her, and it was an effort just to remain standing on her own two unsteady legs. 

She walked herself along Optimus’ grill and leaned her face against the cool chrome. It felt like porcelain against her hot skin and was deliciously soothing to the flaming sensation in her flushed cheeks. 

She felt the metal beneath her shift and move, and Optimus’ bipedal form crouched down in front of her, catching her gently in his hand. 

She collapsed into a tired heap on his palm, using her arms as a pillow. 

He worried a finger over her body, going from the nape of her neck down to the base of her spine. She used his fingers to pull herself into a kneeling position and looked him drowsily in the eye.

“M’fine big guy. Just need a breather for a sec.” 

A dull pain was making itself known in the small of her back, along with an aching cramp sensation in the pit of her abdomen. 

She fought through the mental fog in her head to bring herself back to the here and now. 

The other Autobots were gathered in a small circle around the equally small group of humans who had helped to save the planet. 

Optimus glanced down at Cordelia before addressing the group. 

“Autobots, Knights, human comrades, I have one simple thing to say before I say anything else. Thank you. Thank you for coming together in our hour of need and lighting the way when all around us was only darkness. 

“There are no words that I can say that are worthy or even comprehensible of the debt that the world owes you today. Go forth from here safe in the knowledge that you have my eternal gratitude, for deeds done here today and those that have been done in the past.

“At the heart of every legend, there is truth. A few brave souls unite to save their world. We can be heroes in our own lives, every single one of us, if we only have the courage to _try._ Our fates were always intertwined, but now our two worlds are joined together as one. We need to repair our planets, unite and work _together,_ if we wish to survive. A dangerous secret is buried deep within the Earth. I am Optimus Prime, and I commend every single one of you for your actions here today.” 

A strange, solemn silence settled over the damp field as Autobot and human alike digested Optimus’ words.

Cordelia looked up at Optimus and felt a surge of pride swell behind her sternum. Here was Optimus as a Prime. As somebody who inspired people to follow him, even though they knew it could potentially be into a death trap. 

He was a mech who would not ask his Autobots to do anything that he himself would not do. 

She knew that he would lay down his life for any one of his Autobots, and would not hesitate to do the same for his human allies. 

She planted a shy kiss on the tip of his thumb and sat back on her haunches. 

The cramping sensation in her abdomen was getting stronger by the second, growing from a dull ache to a stabbing pain that burned her insides. The pain in the small of her back was also growing to a more burning sensation, growing from a small spark into a small fireball. 

The shock of it caused her to take in a sharp breath. She pressed a hand to her swollen stomach, feeling Nova begin to roll furiously.

Another stab of pain made her vision swim. The fireball grew slightly, and with the expansion came more pain. It clouded her thoughts, bringing fear and uncertainty to the forefront of her mind.

She reached blindly for Optimus’ fingers, her hands faltering when she couldn’t feel them. 

She felt as if a belt with rusty nails attached to it had been tied around her abdomen and lower back, and some invisible force was tightening and loosening it with terrifying speed. 

She tried to cast her mind back to those early conversations with Jenny and what she should expect when her time came.

_“Now honey, when your time comes, the contractions will start slow and build gradually in their intensity. You’ll wanna concentrate on your breathing and timing how far apart they are. They’ll come in waves, and it’ll probably feel like a strong period pain. They’ll peak and trough, starting out sore and then petering out to almost nothing.”_

Cordelia tried to centre her mind on breathing in regular, steady breaths. In through her nose, and out through her mouth. She succeeded for one or two, but then the fireball inside her grew again and the pain intensified tenfold. 

A warm feeling between her legs distracted her momentarily from the blinding fire inside her abdomen. 

She looked down to see the green of her khaki trousers turn to a murky reddish-brown. A strong urge to empty her bladder overcame her and there was a soft popping sound and a strange feeling of release behind her pubic bone. 

A rush of warm fluid seeped from inside her and down the insides of her legs, staining her trousers like blotting paper. 

The fireball continued to grow and shrink, the pain matching it in perfect synchronisation. The belt around her middle tightened and loosened with each wave of fresh pain, like the tide washing in and out on the beach. 

She curled herself into the foetal position, jamming her hands inside her trousers and trying to hold everything inside herself. She felt as if she was being ripped apart from the inside out. She was a piece of thread, fraying and fraying until she snapped and was broken beyond all recognition.

The sounds around her became duller and further away. She was not aware of the Autobots clustering around Optimus worriedly, or the soft touch of his index finger on her clammy cheek.

She was not aware of the faint whimpers coming from her own mouth.

All she knew was the pain and the fireball that was intent on destroying her. 

It grew and shrank, each cycle getting more and more aggressive. The pain that accompanied it was phenomenal and awe-inspiring in its power. Red hot fire shot through her veins, making every cell in her body hyper-sensitive to the turmoil that was happening within her uterus. 

Somehow, she found the power to speak, and she managed to weakly call out. 

“Optimus…the baby…she’s coming!” 

She lost her last grip on the waking world and succumbed to the darkness that was so calm and so serene. 

So still.

.o

Optimus looked down in horror as a steady pool of dark red blood covered his silvery palm. It showed no signs of stopping and continued to seep slowly from in between Cordelia’s legs, growing so much in volume that it began to seep and drip over the edges of his palm. 

Cordelia had lost consciousness, but was breathing in fast, shallow breaths. 

Hound approached his leader, motioning toward a military medical tent that had been erected nearby. 

“Prime, she needs to go in there. I’ve just taken a reading of her vitals and the baby’s. Her blood pressure is dangerously low and the baby is bradyarrhythmic((query)). She will haemorrhage if we don’t get her stabilised **now.** ”

Leo approached the two Autobots, his arms outstretched. 

“Give her to me Optimus, I’ll take her into the tent.” 

Optimus knelt and placed Cordelia into Leo’s outstretched arms with more tenderness than he had ever handled her before.

Leo accepted her weight easily and carried her quickly into the tent. 

Hound and Optimus transformed into their vehicle modes and activated their human-sized holoforms.

Optimus followed Hound into the tent, where Leo had placed Cordelia onto a medical gurney, laying her on her side. 

Hound gently moved Leo out of the way and began to work on her. 

Optimus took Cordelia’s hand and held it fervently between his own, never taking his gaze from her.

Hound produced an oxygen mask from nowhere and manipulated it onto Cordelia’s face, ensuring that it covered her mouth and nose.

“Leo? Where are you at? I need you here!” 

Leo appeared at Hound’s side, waiting to be directed by the green medic. “Where do you want me?”

“I need you to hold her legs on your shoulders and raise them above her head. We need to get the blood back to her head. She needs to deliver this baby **now**.”

Leo did as he was told and carefully grasped Cordelia’s legs, placing them on each of his shoulders, ensuring that they were higher than her head. 

Hound worked quickly, hooking Cordelia up to a saline drip, hooking the bag of clear fluid on a makeshift wire hanger. He turned to face Optimus, his face grave. 

“Boss, I’m gonna need to remove her trousers and underwear. I need to examine her and I need to see what’s going on. I can’t go on scans alone.” 

The bullet casing that served as his ‘cigar’ moved with each word, hanging downwards from between his mouth plates. 

Optimus nodded, not taking his eyes from Cordelia. “Of course Hound, do whatever you need to do. Just don’t lose her Hound, don’t lose her.” 

Hound did not respond but began to gently remove Cordelia’s trousers and underwear. 

Leo shrugged off his jacket and handed it wordlessly to Hound, who had thrown the bloodstained trousers and knickers off to one side. 

Hound draped the brown fleece jacket over Cordelia’s hips in such a way that would preserve her dignity but would still allow him to examine her thoroughly. 

Optimus watched through wary optics as Hound lubricated the fingers of his right hand with some KY Jelly. 

He probed gently at her entrance before inserting two fingers inside her, being mindful not to tear the delicate skin. 

Hound’s optics widened as he felt the baby’s head and anterior shoulder clearly presented against Cordelia’s pubic bone. He lifted his head, spitting the cigar out.

“Boss, she’s in transition. If this baby doesn’t come out within the next twenty minutes, we risk losing them both.” 

Cold dread seeped through Optimus’ circuitry. His Spark hummed furiously in its casing, raising his CPU temperature by a sixth of a degree. The covers on his audio receptors spun furiously and air hissed from his joints. He leaned down and pressed his mouth against Cordelia’s forehead, taking a reading of her body temperature at the same time.

She was running a fever, her basal body temperature at a round figure of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. 

“Come on little one. Nova and I need you. Come back to me little one, I’m right here. I’ve got you.” His baritone voice sounded low in her ear. He watched as even in unconsciousness, his proximity caused tiny goosepimples to raise on her ivory skin. 

The quiet thud of her heart increased in speed, coming back to a healthier rhythm. 

Suddenly the oxygen mask was ripped from her face and her green eyes were open and bloodshot, her face terrified. 

.o

The fireball brought her back to reality in a whirl of bright red pain, overwhelming all of her senses at once. 

The stabbing sensation returned full-force to her abdomen and lower back, making her feel like she was being ripped in half, but from the inside. 

Her green eyes darted wildly around, taking in the change in her surroundings.

She was in a crude medical tent, on a narrow gurney. She’d been laid on her left-hand side and something was mildly uncomfortable. She saw that Leo was holding her legs on his shoulders, but as their eyes met, he lowered them to rest on the gurney. 

A strong urge to push overtook her body and she bellowed, a raw guttural sound that was animalistic in its ferocity. 

Fear paralysed her, locking her limbs into place and sliding down her throat, cold and poisonous as it painted a liquid trail down into her lungs.

She struggled to sit up, pushing on her hands to get into a semi-seated position. 

“Optimus? Op? Where are you?”

Servos whirred as his silver hands came down to frame her face. “Shh, I’m right here Lia. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.” 

The fireball continued to shrink and grow with monotonous regularity, making her skin feel too tight for her pregnant bump. She felt as if all of her internal organs were going to explode with the pressure. She gulped air into her lungs, trying to remember the breathing techniques that she had read about way back when she was in her first trimester. 

That all felt like a million years ago. 

She reached around and grabbed onto Optimus’ forearms, pulling herself closer to him. 

A strong downward-tugging sensation made itself known in her uterus as Nova rolled inside her. Cordelia felt as if the pain would never leave her body; that she would spent the rest of her life birthing a baby that was destined never to emerge from within her.

“Optimus, I need to turn over, I need to be on my front!” 

Optimus looked at Hound for assurance, and the gruff Autobot nodded the affirmative. 

At once, Optimus supported Cordelia’s weight whilst Leo helped her to turn over. 

She ended up on her knees, bracing her full weight on Optimus’ proffered forearms. 

Being in this position gave her a perfect view of his face. 

It was a picture of fear, love and worry, all rolled into one medley of emotions that showed themselves plainly on the Prime’s noble visage. 

The tightness in her belly eased significantly as she leaned fully on Optimus, allowing him to take the brunt of her weight.

She was vaguely aware of a stinging feeling down by her nether regions as Hound gently inserted his fingers once more to assess the position of the baby within her.

Each contraction pushed Nova down another millimetre, the fireball inside her growing ever stronger. 

It pulsed like a heart, flooding her with fire and blood. She gave up fighting it and rode each wave of pain as it came. 

Her spine threatened to break away from her body as the fireball turned to an inferno, the contractions taking every ounce of her concentration to stay in the moment and not surrender to the darkness that was beckoning to her seductively from the corners of her mind. 

“Optimus, I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” She panted, gulping in huge lungfuls of air between her desperate words. 

Optimus smiled at her, and it was one that she had not seen before. It was a smile of pride and reverence. Optimus looked at her as if she were the sun, and he the blind man seeing her for the very first time. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“My girl, you can do this. I have every faith in you. Your body was made to do this, and very soon, you shall have Nova in your arms. Each pain brings you closer to her, and I am right here, right beside you.” 

She fell against him, a half-sob escaping from between her clenched teeth. His words gave her renewed strength, and she bore down with all her might, willing every ounce of strength in her body to push her daughter out and into the world. 

Time lost its meaning as her body settled itself into the act that millions of women had done before her. Her fight or flight instinct rose up from deep within her; a contradicting feeling to the sense of duty that was at the forefront of her mind. 

Her belly hardened and softened with each contraction, keeping in perfect time with the pulsating fireball. 

An immense urge to bear down overcame her, not dissimilar to the feeling of when she needed to empty her bowels. She obeyed the sensation without question, bellowing as the fireball ripped through her. She found herself lost in an ocean of red hot, searing agony. There was no rhyme or reason to anything accept to follow the guidance of her labouring body. 

A sudden, ethereal sense of calm overcame her, clouding the edges of her vision with a bluish tinge. Instinctively, she knew that it would be over soon. 

She clung to the blissful sense of nirvana that was caressing her psyche, using the newfound clarity to muster all her strength for the final stint of her labour. 

All of a sudden, the fireball doubled in size, and the pain she had felt before paled to insignificance. Fire ripped through her body at the same time as the invisible belt tightened unbearably on her rock-hard belly. 

“I need to get this baby out **now!** ” 

She felt as if she was underwater as she listened to Hound’s muffled voice, trying to dissect the meaning behind his frantic words. 

The fireball grew again, bringing with it a heavy pulling sensation. 

She screamed for the duration of the last contraction, clinging to Optimus until her knuckle bones felt as if they were going to crack through her paper-thin skin. 

In a rush of fire, blood and pain, it was over. The fireball had exploded.

Nova slipped out of her and came to rest in Hound’s hands. Cordelia struggled to turn around, not caring that her nether regions were on display to all in the crude tent. 

“Hound? Give her to me. Hound?!” Her voice came out shrill and high, croaky from the effort of her labour. 

Hound did not respond to her but took Nova’s tiny body over to a neighbouring gurney, and began to work over her. 

Cordelia made to get off the gurney, determined to get to her daughter. Optimus gently restrained her, hugging her to his chest. 

“Easy little one, Hound is just clearing her airways.” His voice lacked its usual conviction, sounding unsure and afraid by comparison. 

“Boss, she ain’t breathin’. There’s…there’s no heartbeat.” 

The world seemed to fall away as Cordelia digested Hound’s words.

_There’s no heartbeat._

Optimus made no effort to stop her this time as she flung herself over to the gurney that her daughter lay upon. 

Hound stepped aside, allowing her full view of the tiny baby. 

The baby before her was perfectly formed. 

She was smaller than a child’s doll, with perfect rosebud lips that bowed underneath a ski-jump nose. Her pale eyelids were closed, almost translucent. Her milky cheeks were round and full, framed by the tiniest ears. 

Cordelia raised her hand and grazed her knuckles down the length of her daughter’s tiny body. She shed silent tears as she lowered her head and pressed a tender kiss to her baby’s fontanelle. The hair felt like velvet beneath her lips and she wiped away the bitter taste of salt as she withdrew. 

Optimus appeared wordlessly at her side and handed her a small, white blanket. She took it from him and wrapped the baby in it, wiping away the vernix from her pale face. 

She couldn’t find it within herself to lift her daughter from where she lay, fearing she herself would break apart if she took her in her arms.

A warm, wet feeling between her legs momentarily distracted her, the scent of copper and iron suddenly assaulting her nostrils. 

She sagged against Optimus, totally exhausted, and surrendered to the void.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content/Trigger warning: Graphic depiction of deceased infant.

There was an annoyingly bright light shining through the translucent skin of Cordelia’s eyelids. Something was itching on the back of her left hand, and she moved to pull whatever it was off. 

Servos whirred as strong hands secured her right hand gently to her side. “Easy little one, leave that in for now, the fluid hasn’t finished entering your body at this moment in time.” 

Optimus’ low baritone surrounded her, booming low due to some impressive acoustics. 

Opening her eyes, she saw that she was in a bright, white, clinical room. She lay supine in a hi-lo bed, with the cot-guard up on one side. Optimus sat on her other side, clasping her left hand in both of his own. 

She looked down to see the source of the itch on the back of her hand. A cannula had been inserted there, two looping tubes emerging from underneath the sticky plaster. One tube was clear, the other a dark rich, red. 

She turned her gaze to Optimus. He looked down at her hand, so delicately clasped in his. His silvery thumbs stroked tender circles into the back of her hands, careful to avoid disturbing the tubes. 

He looked tired. His optics were drawn, their pupils tiny, like pinpricks. His mouth was turned down, not in a scowl but in an expression of loss. His shoulders sagged, betraying a hint of the unimaginable weight that he carried within his Spark.

Subconsciously, Cordelia’s right hand went down to her stomach. 

Her newly flat stomach. 

It all came back to her then, in a flash of memories as violent as the birth of her daughter had been. 

She heard the heart rate monitor start to speed up, the machine struggling to keep pace with the galloping pace of her fractured heart. 

Optimus snapped his head up then, his optics going straight to her face. 

She reached weakly for him, and he took her outstretched hand, pulling her carefully into a sitting position. 

He curled one long arm behind her fragile body, allowing her to lean her full weight on him. 

“Optimus…what happened? Where are we?” Her voice sounded raw and croaky, no doubt from all the bellowing she had done during her hard labour. 

There was a mechanical whine as Optimus answered her. “We are in the University Hospital in Southampton. Drift airlifted you after you gave birth and…lost consciousness. You haemorrhaged shortly after you delivered. The doctors here had to give you a blood transfusion. The clear tube is delivering a saline solution drip, to treat any dehydration.” 

She didn’t answer but allowed her foggy brain to digest Optimus’ words. 

He observed her warily, waiting for her reaction. She tightened her grip on his hand, clutching onto his fingers with feeble strength. 

Tears pricked her eyes as she lifted her gaze to meet his sad optics. “Where is Nova?” 

His audio covers rotated backwards and then forwards as he leaned towards her to tuck a strand of stray hair behind her ear. “She is here, in the hospital. A midwife took her down to the nursery chapel to bathe and dress her…for if you wanted to see her when you are able.” 

A sudden wave of inexplicable emotion came over Cordelia. She could not put a name to it, nor could she find adequate words to describe or comprehend it.

It washed over her in a vicious tsunami of visceral pain and loss. The shock of it took her breath away, leaving her gulping in air like she had just resurfaced from a deep ocean. 

The pain wrapped itself around her, curling around her exhausted body in poison tendrils, drawing invisible lacerations up one side of her heart and down the other. 

Grief was not an accurate word for the emotion and pain that was currently ravaging its way through both her psyche and her body. 

It ripped through her with all the devastation of a mesocyclone, destroying everything in its path. Her heart thumped frantically behind ribs that felt as if they were being crushed in a vice, while her lungs burned with the amount of air that she couldn’t seem to release. 

She was drowning in a sea intent on killing her, and there was no way out except to grit her teeth and endure it. 

Then she felt the reassuring presence of Optimus’ hand on the small of her back. She used it to anchor her rationale to one place and focused on her emotional swim back to him. He’d thrown her a life line, and she was going to take it.

She surfaced in a rush of panicked breaths and fluttering heartbeats. Her arms found their way around his neck and she moulded herself to him, not caring in the slightest if she dislodged the tubes coming out of the back of her left hand. 

He responded in kind, holding her to his body with a grip so fierce that she wondered if anything in the world would ever separate them. She felt him reach up to cup the back of her head, holding her together as she broke to pieces in his arms. 

The tears came slowly at first, a slow burn of sadness so deep that it seemed to have no root. Then they upped their speed and their intensity, pouring from her eyes relentlessly. 

Soon, the sobs heaved and wracked their way through her shattered body, leaving her feeling like she’d run a double marathon. 

Optimus held her whilst she sobbed harder than she had ever done before. She buried her face in the space between his metallic collar and his face, inhaling the strong ozone scent of him, coupled with the strange scent of energon that she could find no name for. 

Her hands made claws around the smokestacks that sprouted from where his ‘shoulder blades’ would have been, slipping slightly on the shiny chrome. 

She let herself memorise his body by touch; the strong column of his spine. The feel of the various springs and cogs in his back. Her hands made their way down to the small of his back, coming across an air filter and what must have been a miniaturised crankshaft. 

She worked them back up his body to the back of his head, feeling for the vent that he ‘inhaled’ through. To the base of his ear finials. She rubbed circles into them with her nails, all the way up to the top. He leaned into her touch, letting the full weight of his head fall into her trembling hands. 

In turn, his hands drew invisible lines of comfort and love up her arms and over her face. He brushed away each new tear that fell with gentle thumbs, framing her face carefully in his large hands. 

She moved her hands from his back and raised them to form small half-manacles around his thick wrists. 

He opened his arms and she fell into them, folding herself as small as she could into his safe embrace. 

She motioned for him to climb onto the bed next to her, and he did so, deftly stepping over the tubes going into her left hand and settling behind her. 

His feet dangled off the end of the bed by at least a foot, but he didn’t seem to care. He tucked his legs up and wrapped a long arm around Cordelia’s waist, pulling her easily to him. 

She settled into the comfort of his loving hold, resting her head on his left forearm whilst he spooned her from behind. 

Her sobs had subsided into the quiet, defeated cries of somebody who has been hurt beyond all comprehension, and she made no effort to stop the tears rolling from her bloodshot eyes and onto Optimus’ armour. 

He stroked her hair with his free hand, bringing one leg carefully over her body, eliminating all space between them. 

He worked to stop her emotional bleeding, holding her to him as she fell apart in his arms.

.o

Cordelia didn’t know how long she had slept for. What she did know was that she had a tremendous headache. It felt as if she’d been kicked in the head by a horse with an attitude problem, and then hit in the face with a wrecking ball.

She pushed herself into a sitting position on the hospital bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with the back of her right hand. 

Sunlight streamed in through the open window, a harsh contrast to the grey and catatonic feeling of her heavy heart.

A glance over her shoulder told her that Optimus had fallen into recharge a while ago.

He’d folded his left arm under his face, using it in place of a pillow. His right arm was still draped loosely around Cordelia’s hips, his fingers ever-so-slightly curled. 

His bottom lip plate pouted outward adorably, the way it always did when he was deep in recharge. His optics were shut lazily, although he did not look peaceful. His body was tensed like a coiled spring; almost as if he was ready to spring into action at a second’s notice. 

Cordelia tested this by jostling the bed lightly with her weight, and sure enough, Optimus’ optics snapped open straight away. 

He bolted upwards into a sitting position, wrapping a large hand around Cordelia’s cold one. 

“Good morning little one, how did you sleep last night?”

Cordelia sighed and tied her hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. “Not well. I kept waking up every hour on the hour. I just…I just can’t stop thinking about her Optimus.” 

He said nothing but wrapped both arms around her slender shoulders and rested his chin gently on the top of her head. 

She loved it when he did that. It made her feel so safe. 

She leaned her head into the hollow of his throat, and they stayed like that for a few countless minutes. 

They were like two puzzle pieces that fate had thrown together. Two puzzle pieces, that when joined, created a picture so achingly beautiful that it made the beholder’s heart hurt just to look at it.

Two halves of the same whole, as Optimus had said, what felt like ten lifetimes ago.

“Optimus…I want to see her.” She felt him tense for a heartbeat before he relaxed again. 

His deep voice vibrated her bones when he replied. 

“Of course little one, I shall arrange for it to happen.” 

She pushed away from him and went to stand, but had to sit back down with a gasp when a stab of sharp pain shot through her nether regions. 

“Cordelia?!” Optimus’ voice came out slightly higher than usual, laced as it was with panic. 

She held up a hand to reassure him. “I’m okay big guy, just had a sudden jolt of pain, that’s all.” 

He nodded, placated for the moment. 

“Very well, I shall go and ask for a wheelchair and make the appropriate…arrangements.

Cordelia watched as he shifted his holoform from his robotic guise to his human one. 

Today he had chosen to wear his salt and pepper hair in a scruffy centre parting, along with a face full of stubble that looked as if it had been growing for a few days. The deep lines around his blue eyes only accentuated the tiredness and emotion that she knew she carried within his Spark. 

_Huh, I guess he’s made himself look tired because of what’s happened…anybody would look tired after that…_

She let her thoughts trail off and quickly washed and dressed herself whilst Optimus was talking to the nurses on the ward outside. 

She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Her pale skin was more grey than ivory, as if she was an item of clothing that had been laundered one too many times. Her auburn hair was dull and lank, more like a dirty copper penny than the red ‘sunrise hair’ that Optimus always commented on. The green of her eyes was cloudy and muted, almost as if somebody had turned down the saturation on the colour. 

All in all, she looked like a reanimated corpse. 

Her post-partum belly hung in a jiggly mass between her hips, sagging downwards. She poked it, appalled at the soft and mushy feel of it. She pulled her hand away as if she had been burned. 

She pulled a thick woollen cardigan on that had been draped over the end of her bed. It was a grey cable-knit, and made Cordelia feel a little more secure in herself. 

Optimus re-emerged then, pushing a hospital wheelchair in through the door. 

Cordelia wrinkled her nose. 

He held up a hand to stop her tirade, applying the chair’s brakes and walking over to her. 

“I know that you are not keen on the idea of riding in a wheelchair, but the nurses have informed me that the nursery chapel is quite a walk…and you are still quite weak.” 

She sighed and said nothing but got up gingerly and walked herself along the bed to get into the wheelchair. 

At once Optimus closed the gap between them with one long stride and carefully bundled her into his arms, carrying her bridal style.

It was strange to be held by Optimus when he was using his human holoform. She was used to the firm feel of his armour behind her, and the slightly cold sensation at first when he touched her. 

She leaned against his firm chest. He had fashioned his human holoform to look like a man in his mid-fifties or so. He was not what someone would call ‘typically attractive’, and this had been wholly intentional. He’d made his features non-descript and subtle. 

His salt and pepper hair fell shaggily into blue eyes that were framed by deep lines. The strong set of his jaw was covered in a scruffy stubble that tickled her cheek when he straightened back up into a standing position.

As in his robotic holoform, his human one stood at an impressive height of six feet and eight inches tall. His holoform was in good physical shape, with muscular arms and a firm chest, reminiscent of his robotic self. 

“Optimus, is this really necessary?” Cordelia asked, crossing her legs over each other as she readjusted her grip around Optimus’ neck and shoulders.

He regarded her from beneath thick eyebrows. “I won’t have you exerting yourself any more than is necessary. Of course, I can always carry you down to the chapel like this.” 

She elbowed him lightly in the chest. “Fine. I’ll use the damned chair.” 

He carefully lowered her into the chair, ensuring that she was sitting comfortably before he deftly turned the chair around and manoeuvred it back out of the open doorway.

They emerged onto a long ward. At this end of the corridor, every two metres or so, doors with numbers on them led into private rooms. As Optimus began to make his way down the corridor, the private rooms gave way to little side rooms that were each equipped with six beds. 

The occupants of these beds all had the same tired and worn expressions on their faces as Cordelia herself had. 

It suddenly dawned on her that she had been put in the maternity ward.

_Of course you have, you stupid woman. Where the hell else would they have put you?!_

A physical jolt of pain made itself known in her chest when she heard the shrill cry of a newborn baby. 

Optimus’ hand moved down to squeeze her shoulder tightly in a show of tender solidarity. She reached up and grabbed his hand with her left one, the plaster on the back of her hand catching the cuff of her thick knitted cardigan.

The tubes had been removed while she had been sleeping, and she now had a thick wad of gauze and plaster covering where they had been. 

The ride down to the nursery chapel was long, or at least it _felt_ that way. Cordelia took in none of her surroundings as Optimus wheeled her through a maze of corridors and in and out of countless lifts. 

At last they emerged around a corner into yet another long corridor.

A non-descript sign on the wall informed them that the nursery chapel was just ahead. 

This corridor was painted with hearts and flowers, trains and planes travelling in between them. Periodically, teddy bears holding hearts stared at her with their lifeless eyes as Optimus pushed her towards a pair of double doors at the very end of the corridor. 

A numb sense of catatonia encompassed all of her senses, not unlike the feeling of anaesthesia. 

A nurse dressed in colourful scrubs printed with Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star appeared from behind the double doors. 

She wore a sad smile on her round face, emphasised by kindly chocolate-brown eyes. 

She approached Optimus and Cordelia, her arm extended. 

Cordelia took it, suddenly self-conscious of her dishevelled appearance. 

“Good morning, Miss Prime, Mr Prime.” Her tone was full of sincerity, and she spoke to Cordelia first before addressing Optimus. 

She shook Cordelia’s hand warmly and wrapped her other hand around Cordelia’s bony one. “Would you like to come on through?”

Cordelia nodded wordlessly and let her hand fall from the kindly nurse’s grip. 

“Okay sweetie, if you and your dad would just like to follow me. My name is Lisa by the way.” 

“I’m…Cordelia.” Cordelia half-whispered, reaching around to grab Optimus’ hand once more. 

He pushed the chair through the double doors that swung open to admit them entrance into the nursery chapel. 

It was a surprisingly small space, decorated in the same vein as the corridor outside. Teddy bears plastered the walls, accompanied by merry pictures of hot air balloons and rainbows. Cordelia dropped her eyes to the floor, not wanting to see the bright colours that she felt had no place in her field of vision at that precise moment in time. 

In the centre of the room, there was a small Moses basket. It was made from grey wicker and trimmed with a pale pink interior. It stood on a matching grey criss-cross frame. 

Optimus stopped the chair a metre or so away from the Moses basket. 

Cordelia’s vision swam as the room suddenly became longer and longer by the second, the Moses basket staying front and centre. Her grip on Optimus’ hand tightened considerably as she locked her gaze upon her daughter’s resting place. 

“You can have as long as you like, as long as you need.” Lisa said, unintentionally breaking the spell. “Anything you need, just give me a shout. I’m only outside.” She placed a gentle hand on Cordelia’s shoulder before she exited the room. 

“Optimus…can you take me closer?” 

Optimus moved the chair slowly, as if he was pushing it through cement. 

As they approached the side of the Moses basket, Cordelia let go of Optimus’ hand and reached her hands out to grasp the side of the Moses basket. 

She took a deep breath and looked in. 

The baby within the basket could have been asleep for anybody unaware. Her eyelids were shut and her tiny little face was clean. Cordelia took time to drink in all of her features, heedless of the tears that had welled up in her green eyes.

Nova had a shock of red hair that was almost as dark as Cordelia’s, although it was the thin and wispy hair typical of a new baby. Her round cheeks were slightly mottled, almost as if she had a milk rash. Her slightly upturned nose sat above a perfectly formed philtrum. Pale pink rosebud lips were slightly pursed, giving the child the impression that she was deep in thought. 

Cordelia felt as if her hear was going to explode through her ribcage, it was beating that violently and that fast.

She lifted her gaze from her resting daughter to meet Optimus’. He’d shifted his holoform back to his robotic self, and his optics were locked on the tiny baby in front of him. 

She thought that he might break apart from the grief that he was displaying. His intakes whined audibly while his audio covers rotated furiously clockwise and counter-clockwise. 

Small drops of fluid seeped gently from the inner corners of his optics and came to rest in the grooves of his silvery nose. He used his thumbs to rub away the excess fluid from his optics, and the effect wasn’t dissimilar to when somebody used a squeegee to clean a window. 

He raised his optics to meet Cordelia’s watery eyes. He asked her a silent question with a slight incline of his head, and she knew him so well that she didn’t even have to ask him what he wanted to do. 

She nodded imperceptibly and watched as he carefully slid his metallic hands into the Moses basket. 

He slipped one hand underneath Nova’s head and the other underneath her bottom before lifting her so carefully. He walked around and placed her in Cordelia’s waiting arms. 

Cordelia accepted her tiny weight easily, and nestled her daughter’s head into the crook of her left arm. Optimus withdrew his hands and came around to kneel at her side; his huge height allowing him to be at eye-level even from that lowered perspective. 

Cordelia tightened her grip around the baby and used her free hand to carefully pull back the blanket that was up to her daughter’s neck. 

Her tiny hands were folded on her stomach, each in miniature fists. She had been dressed in a pale pink baby-grow with rabbits embroidered onto the neck and feet. 

Cordelia lifted a trembling hand to touch one of her daughter’s miniscule hands. She gasped as she simultaneously felt how cold her daughter was and the tightening of her breasts. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that her milk would not come in for at least another couple of days, but right at that moment, she could not have cared less about that. 

With more gentleness than she knew she was capable of, Cordelia took one of her baby’s hands and carefully unfurled it. 

She could not get over how tiny her daughter’s fingers and nails were. The fingernail on her daughter’s littlest finger was smaller than a grain of rice. She lowered her face and kissed each tiny knuckle, wetting the baby’s hand with silent tears. 

Then she gently moved her so that her head was up against her shoulder. She cupped the back of her head, feeling the velvet-soft hair. She leaned her cheek against Nova’s tiny little ear and allowed herself to go to pieces. 

She whispered promises of eternal love and endless, heartfelt apologies into her daughter’s ear. She told her how she would never forget her and how she would think of her at the beginning and end of every day for the rest of her life.

She told how there would never be another like her in all the world, nor would there be a child who had been so loved, and by people so special. 

She told her daughter to fly high on her angel’s wings, but not to forget to drop in and see her mother from time to time.

Cordelia did not know how long she clutched Nova to her breast for, and neither did she care. 

She gently folded the baby back into the cradle of her arms and planted a kiss on the velvety softness that was her fontanelle.

“I love you, my little one. I love you more than I know how to say, and I am so, so sorry that I failed in being your mummy.” 

She looked up then to see Optimus with one continuous stream of fluid coming from each of his agonised optics. His facial plating was scrunched with the emotion that had finally become too much for him to bear. 

The vents on the back of his head whined again as he took in large volumes of air, undoubtedly to cool his CPU that had most likely warmed with his increased Spark activity.

Cordelia held her daughter towards Optimus, and his optics widened in shock. 

“You’ll be fine big guy. I promise.” 

He made his arms into an awkward cradle shape and Cordelia placed Nova carefully into them. 

In Optimus’ armoured arms, she looked even tinier than she had in Cordelia’s. Her whole tiny body was hardly the length of Optimus’ forearm. 

Optimus adjusted his grip on Nova and ensured that her head was fully supported in the crook of his arm before he took his free hand away. 

He traced his index finger from the top of her head, over her little nose and over her rosebud lips. He took her hand between a finger and thumb, unfurling it as Cordelia had, marvelling at the tiny being in his arms. 

“Well, hello Nova Prime. What a pleasure it is to meet you at last.” His voice was shaky with emotion and laced with static. Cordelia placed a comforting hand on his other arm. 

“I’ve never held a baby before, so it is my absolute pleasure that you are the first, Nova.” He spoke totally to her, never once taking his misty optics from her sleeping face. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss in the same place where Cordelia had, his lip plates clicking quietly with the action.

He looked up then to look at Cordelia. “With your permission little one, may I say a traditional Cybertronian prayer?” 

Cordelia nodded, more tears spilling silently onto her freckled cheeks.

Optimus returned his gaze to the baby and cupped her face with his free hand. 

“Nova-“ here he looked up at Cordelia. “Lia…did you want to give her a middle name?” 

Cordelia gasped. That thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. She nodded, already instinctively knowing what the name was going to be.

“Yes. Her middle name is Guinevere. After my mother.” 

Optimus nodded and bowed his head again. 

“Nova Guinevere Prime, may you rest in peace. May Primus guide your soul safely to the AllSpark. May you be reunited in joy and love with our departed brothers and sisters. May your soul live on evermore in the memories of those whom you have left behind.” 

Cordelia’s throat ached at the beauty of Optimus’ words. His voice did not waver as he spoke with conviction and pride. 

Cordelia took his hand in her own. “Optimus, thank you, thank you _so_ much.” She got out of the wheelchair and half sat on Optimus’ lap. He held both of them in his strong embrace, and like that, they took the first steps toward healing.

.o

The journey back to the ranch was long and arduous. As they got on the second flight, Cordelia’s breast milk had decided to make an appearance.

She’d spent the last four hours grunting in pain every time she moved, fed up of the stinging and tight sensation in her tender breasts. 

Optimus sat next to her in his holoform, his legs spread apart to allow him some room. Due to his height, he could not simply sit with his legs in front of him without his knees digging into the seat in front.

They were sharing a plane with Cade, Leo and Viviane, who had decided to take an extended holiday in the United States, starting in Paris, Texas. 

Cordelia rested her head against the cold plastic of the aeroplane’s window and watched the countless clouds roll by. 

“Ahh, you’re admiring the cirrocumulus clouds?” Optimus’ deep baritone broke her from her long reverie. 

“Hmm?”

“The clouds outside,” he said, motioning toward a large cluster of clouds. They were arranged in neat rows and each cloud was quite small. They looked as if they had been deliberately placed into that particular arrangement.

“Cirrocumulus clouds are much smaller than other types of cloud, and are among the rarer type. They usually form high up in the sky and only in typically sunny and cold weather. They often appear in parallel rows, such as they have on this occasion. They don’t usually last for very long, but they are spectacular when they do appear.”

Cordelia smiled weakly at him and leaned her head on his metallic shoulder, enjoying the cool sensation of his smooth armour under her flaming cheek. 

They said nothing more for the rest of the long flight, merely content to sit leaning on each other for its duration.


	13. Chapter Twelve Part II

Optimus and Cordelia sat side by side at the lake that sat within the ranch’s property lines. Cordelia was leaning against Optimus’ left thigh, nestled in the cosy warmth of his mammoth grasp. 

He sat with his hand curled loosely around her small body, his right knee drawn up to his chest. In his right hand he played with a large branch, rolling it easily between his huge fingers.

Cordelia toyed with the blue spherical charm that Leo and Optimus had gifted her for her birthday. It felt like eons had passed since then.

The weeks since their return to the ranch had been rolled into a confusing allegory of pain and catharsis. 

Cordelia had days where she could get up out of bed and go about her day as if nothing had happened. She would do the housework and hang the laundry out, all the while trading jokes with Optimus and the other Autobots. 

Optimus too, had his fair share of good days.

He also had his fair share of bad days.

Cordelia thought back to the time when she’d walked into the woods that bordered the property line to find him punching the living daylights out of a fallen tree.

She’d been curled up on the couch in the living room underneath her favourite blanket, just staring into space. The soup she’d made herself an hour before sat uneaten and cold in the bowl before her. 

A distant thudding brought her back to reality, and she had gotten up off the couch to go and investigate the source. 

It had taken her about twenty minutes to reach the woods, and with every step she took, the thudding noise got louder and she started to feel gentle vibrations in the ground. 

The sight that met her eyes had taken her breath away.

Optimus was punching and kicking the trunk of a huge, fallen tree that must have been resting on the forest floor for some months, judging by the moss that had gradually grown to almost completely cover the trunk.

With each kick and punch, the ground vibrated ominously as if an earthquake was about to begin.

She watched as the mechanisms in his back and shoulders tightened and loosened as he drew his arm back repeatedly to punch the tree. A fist-sized dent had appeared in the great trunk and splintered bark littered the floor around Optimus’ feet.

He growled incoherently to himself, intent only on beating the tree trunk as hard as he was capable of.

The noise was terrifying. It crashed through Cordelia’s ears and directly into her brain at the same time as it vibrated throughout her whole body, making her feel as if her skeleton was enjoying some private disco that she herself was no part of.

“Damn you! Damn you! You failed! You failed your little one, you failed your planet, you failed _this_ planet, you failed Sentinel, you failed yourself! YOU ARE NOT FIT TO BE CALLED A ‘PRIME’!”

He bellowed the last words so loudly that Cordelia had to cover her ears. In the distance, she heard the squawk of some unimpressed crows as they took flight out of their perches. 

Hot tears pricked at the inner corners of her eyes at the sight of somebody she loved so completely displaying such raw and heart-breaking pain. 

Suddenly he rose to his full height and wrenched the tree trunk from the ground in a terrifying display of brute strength. 

He secured it over his right shoulder, and for a moment she was reminded of the ancient medieval knights and the way that they had carried their lances into the jousting tournaments.

He lobbed it, there was no other word for it. He threw it high and far into the distance. It turned as it flew through the air, snapping branches off the neighbouring trees as it went by them.

It landed with a dull thud somewhere that Cordelia couldn’t see. She tore her gaze from the sightless tree trunk and rested her gaze back on Optimus. 

He dropped to his knees heavily, crouching and wrapping his arms around himself. 

Cordelia could see steam escaping from the smokestacks on his shoulder blades, and the tell-tale unfurling of steam that must have been expelled through his nostrils. 

He gouged great trenches into the ground, tearing up the earth like paper. His great body shook with the effort of his warring emotions. 

Great, wracking sobs left him trembling and he had to brace his weight on both hands to stop himself from collapsing completely.

Cordelia had never seen him so vulnerable.

And it did not matter.

She walked slowly toward him, instinctively knowing that he would not hear her approach.

“Optimus?” She asked, keeping her tone low and gentle. She stopped about fifteen feet away from him, just in case she startled him.

At the sound of her voice, his head snapped out and he turned around so fast that he lost his balance a little. 

He leaned on one knee, his optics round in surprise. Their pupils were thin pin-pricks. They always constricted when he was dealing with any sort of negative emotion, and this time was no different.

She wordlessly asked his permission to approach with a look.

He answered her unspoken question with a tiny nod.

She ran towards him and was swept up into both of his hands. He cupped her tiny body in his behemoth grasp, bringing her close to his face.

She stood on his palms and pressed both hands on his flat nose. 

“Hey big guy, what’s up?”

His mouth plates moved up and down for a few seconds before he could find the words to answer her. 

“Cordelia – I – you – I’m sorry. You should not have had to see me behave like that. It was absolutely unacceptable and I can only apologise for my conduct.”

She rolled her eyes at him, “Are you serious right now?! How many times do I need to tell you; I don’t care! I don’t care if you beat the living shit out of a tree or skip around a meadow dropping daisy petals! All that matters to me is that you _talk_ to me Optimus. I’m never, _ever_ going to judge you for getting angry or sad, for laughing or crying. To me you are just Optimus, the person who I love most in the world and the person who I would do absolutely anything for!”

His optics misted over as he took in her words, and he nuzzled into her, pressing his nose into her torso. 

“Whatever did I do to deserve you?” He mumbled against her chest. 

She ran a hand up and down his cheek, trying to comfort him. He started ‘purring’, a soft low rumbling that seemed to come from deep within his chest. 

“You’re wrong by the way.” He canted his head to one side, studying her from beneath a raised optic ridge by way of a silent question. “You’re wrong with what you said just now,” she continued. “You haven’t failed me, you haven’t failed this planet. You haven’t failed anyone, and you **are** fit to be called a Prime.

“Optimus, I need you to talk to me when you feel like this. Remember, you asked me to do the same for you? We are a partnership, and partners share _everything,_ not just the bad stuff. I love you, and I _need_ to be able to help you. Otherwise I am the one who has failed in her duty.” 

“Absolutely not. You have not failed in **anything** , Cordelia.” He placed an index finger under her chin and gently tilted her face upwards to meet his penetrating gaze. 

“I apologise for not confiding in you. I was afraid of burdening you when you have…already been through so much.” 

She sighed. “Yes, I have been through a lot. But so have you, and I need to be there for you Op, and I need you to _let_ me be. Promise?”

He kissed her gently on the forehead with a quiet click of his mouth plates.

“Promise.”

.o

Cordelia sighed and looked outward over the lake. 

The late September sunset was beautifully mirrored in the water, setting an almost incandescent glow as the sun continued its descent. 

She leaned against Optimus’ thigh again heavily with a sigh. 

His hand shifted around her body so that she was gently gathered in all four of his large fingers, his thumb holding her in place. 

He laid back in the long grass of the meadow and deposited her on his broad chest. 

He had rested his head against a large boulder and was able to look at her easily. He kept one hand cupped behind her, partly to keep the cool air at bay and to prevent her from rolling backwards onto his abdomen.

She rested her chin on her knees, looking at him warmly. “Whatcha thinkin’ about big guy?” She asked, folding her arms beneath her head.

“I was…thinking about Nova’s funeral and what a beautiful service it was.” 

Cordelia thought back to the afternoon when they’d held Nova’s funeral service.

It had been a warm August afternoon, right here by this very lake. There hadn’t been a cloud in the blue sky and the sun had beat down warmly onto her ivory skin. 

She’d sat on Optimus’ shoulder as the humanist celebrant had commended Nova’s soul to pass from this life and into the next. 

She’d had Nova’s ashes put into the blue charm that Leo and Optimus had given her, so that she need never be apart from her daughter for as long as she lived.

All in all, it had been a short, intimate and beautiful service.

“Yes, it was a beautiful service,” she said, toying absent-mindedly with a strand of her auburn hair.

“I am so proud of you Cordelia.” Optimus said unexpectedly, gently drawing the tip of his index finger down one side of her face. “To go through what you have done in your short lifetime, and still be one of the most selfless, caring and beautiful souls I have ever known is no mean feat. I’ve known soldiers crumble under less than the trauma you have experienced.” 

She smiled sadly at him. “It isn’t a competition big guy. No, I’m not okay right now, but I know as long as I have you, I can overcome anything.”

She leaned back into his curled fingers, holding his thumb where it rested on her lap.

“Promise me something big guy?”

“Anything,” he declared passionately, his optics flaring with like twin supernovae with conviction.

“Don’t ever leave me.”

He brought her close to his face and nuzzled her hair, kissing her shoulder at the same time. 

“Never. As long as there is a Spark in my body, I am yours.”

They settled into silence and watched the sun bid goodnight to the waking world, happy to just _be_ with each other in total silence.

The coming challenges would be hard, and even feel impossible. They would face feelings of despair and failure, accompanied by misery and hopelessness. 

But they were safe in the knowledge that they would also face these challenges together. Hand in hand, as they had done for the last decade or so. They would laugh together, cry together and build new memories, _together._

Fate could throw anything She wanted at them. Cordelia knew and had faith that as long as she and Optimus were together, they could conquer anything.

 _“And we walk together into the light_ __  
And my love will be your armour tonight  
We are lionhearts”

'lionheart' - demi lovato

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this has been a wild ride! I have plenty more planned for Cordelia and Optimus, you'll be hearing from them again soon. ^_^ 
> 
> As always, kudos, comments and bookmarks are always appreciated! Happy reading folks. ♥


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